GETFund denies awarding scholarships to Ministers, MPs

The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), has denied awarding scholarships meant for brilliant but needy students to some ministers, government appointees as well as Members of Parliament (MP).

According to GETFund, in a statement cited by GhanaWeb, the scholarship fund is not limited to brilliant but needy students.

“We wish to categorically state that the award of scholarships by GETFund under the GETFund Act 2000, Act 581, is not limited to needy but brilliant students. The Fund may, per its mandate, also provide support for such other educational activities and programmes to serve strategic national interests,” the statement read.

Background

The performance audit report on the administration of scholarships by the GETFund secretariat between 2012 and 2018, named some key ministers of state, Members of Parliament, lecturers, heads of institutions and associates as well as media practitioners as beneficiaries of the GETFund scholarships, which are meant for needy but brilliant students.

Some of the names include Dr Matthew Opoku-Prempeh, education minister; Sarah Adwoa Safo, procurement minister and deputy majority leader in Parliament; Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, employment and labour relations minister; and Prince Hamidu Armah, Executive Secretary of National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA).

But critics are worried that in a society where party hacks have grabbed everything from tricycles to excavators, with the poor having limited opportunities with serious health challenges, the national decline in moral leadership should reach this level, especially within the Ministry of Education which administers policies for children to be trained in citizenship and morality.

Read the GETFund statement below