By
Emmanuel Todd, GNA
Accra, Feb. 27, GNA –
Mr Samuel Sagoe, President, Graduate Students Association of Ghana (GRASAG), on
Thursday suggested that scholarships should be awarded to poor, but brilliant
students instead of high profiled government officials, well-resourced
lecturers and other public officials.
He said the Ghana
Education Trust Fund (GETFund) act as captured by the Auditor General’s report
constituted an abuse of the discretionary powers by the Board of the Fund
adding that most applicants were denied the opportunity because they lacked
political connections.
“It is really
unconscionable that sitting Members of Parliament (MP) and other officials will
even put themselves up to be considered for scholarship meant for needy
students.
“This shows what the
political class and the elite in society have carefully been orchestrating
against the masses in this country,” he said.
Mr Sagoe stated at a
joint News engagement held by GRASAG and the National Union of Ghana Students
(NUGS) to address GETFund, Coronavirus and the Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF)
issues.
He said Section
2(2b) of Act 581 Section 2, Clause (2b); “GETFund is to provide supplementary
funding to the Scholarship Secretariat for the grant of scholarships of gifted
but needy students for studies in the second cycle and accredited tertiary
institutions in Ghana”.
He said by the Act,
GETFund did not have the mandate to award scholarships in the first place as it
was the sole mandate of the Scholarship Secretariat.
He said the Auditor
General’s report revealed that GETFund did not establish any systems, policies
and procedures to ensure economic, efficient and effective use of public fund
from 2012 to 2018.
Mr Sagoe said the
fact that the officials did not go through any robust competitive selection
process before receiving their scholarships was enough grounds to ask them to
refund the said amount.
He called on the
Attorney General and the Office of the Special Prosecutor to investigate such
matters.
According to him
allowing the GETFund to continue awarding scholarships without recourse to the
Scholarship Secretariat amounted to duplicity of functions and must be
curtailed.
“The GETFund is not
living to its mandate because it’s expected to pay 10 per cent of revenues
accrued to SLTF to enable them provide loans to poor students, but failed to do
so and students loans are not paid,” he said.
Mr Jay Hyde, NUGS President
speaking on Student Loans said, beneficiaries of the SLTF did not received
payments for the past two semesters, but were counting on the Ministry of
Finance to redeem its promise to release a GH¢10 million Cheque by Friday,
February 28 to be disbursed by Monday, March 2nd.
He said in view of
the assurance, they called off their intended demonstration scheduled for March
10, “we once again hope they keep to their promise”.
He said in relation
to students in China and the Coronavirus, they in partnership with NUGS China
supervised and followed the distribution of monetary allowance of $500 and food
to about 99 per cent of the 344 Ghanaian students studying in Wuhan China.
He assured parents
of the safety of their wards and all measures taken by government was in the
best interest of the nation and their brothers and sisters in China.
GNA