Currently, the Scholarship Authority is in debt of about GH¢834 million, the Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, has revealed at the inauguration of a 14-member governing board of the authority.

“I should note that you are coming to the office with a burden. Currently, I am told that the Scholarship Authority is in debt of about GH¢834 million.

“That is why I was strongly pushing for earmarked funding for the Ghana Scholarship Authority.

“As unsuccessful as I was, I'm sure I'll be back to it some other day, but my argument strongly was that we should dedicate 2.5 per cent of our petroleum royalty revenue to the development of human capital and dedicate it to the scholarship authority,” the minister told the board.

Governing Board

The board, chaired by a former GETFund Administrator, Samuel Garba, with some ministries and institutional representations, including a representative from the Ministry of Education, Inusah Shirazu, the Ministry of Finance, Nelly Mireku, the Ministry of Jobs, Labour and Employment, Hamidu Adakurugu, and the Ministry of Youth Empowerment and Development, Eric Akuetteh Ahele.

Others are a representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alexander Grant Ntrakwa, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Vida Owusua Mensah, and a representative from the Office of the Attorney-General, Frederica Sala Illiasu.

The rest are a representative of the Association of Ghana Industries, Joyce Ababio, a representative from the Students Loan Fund, Dr Saajida Shirazu, a representative from civil society in education nominated by the minister, Daniel Botchway, the Director-General of the Scholarship Authority, Alexander Kwaku Asafo-Adjei and two other persons nominated by the President, at least one of whom is a woman, Prof. Benedicta Yayra Fosu-Mensah and Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie.

Industry needs

Mr Iddrisu hinted he would “share with the President” his intention to collapse the Ghana Student Loan Trust Fund into the scholarship authority and establish a Ghana Scholarship and Bursary Authority.

The minister explained that with that arrangement, the No Fee Stress policy and scholarships awarded by the authority would have a sustainable source of funding.

Mr Iddrisu challenged local universities to reform the training they offer their graduates to better respond to the needs of industry and the private sector.

“That is not to say that I do not recognise that universities have a generic general academic training mandate, but at least, we should see how society is evolving and train persons who can meet the competencies of the 21st century.

“Arguably, you are producing unemployable persons.

That should challenge us to change the narrative,” Mr Iddrisu stated.

Human capital

The minister charged the board to help build the human capital of the country and tasked the members to publicise the list of those they would award a scholarship, saying, “let the public know.

“This is the era of transparency. Let the public know who you have awarded a scholarship and the justification for it,” he tasked the board.

Responding, Mr Garba thanked the President and the minister for the confidence reposed in him and the board members.

He remarked that a scholarship scheme was of no use if it could not fund the scholarships it awarded.