As Parliament prepares to pass the National Scholarship Authority Bill by the end of the week, education policy experts and civil society organizations are voicing serious concerns about whether the proposed legislation will bring meaningful reform to Ghana’s scholarship system.
Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, Chair of Parliament’s Education Committee, stated on July 15 that the bill is designed to enhance transparency and oversight in scholarship administration nationwide.
However, Kofi Asare, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, warns that the bill could reinforce existing flaws rather than resolve them.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Thursday, July 17, 2025, Asare criticized the governance structure outlined in the bill, saying it merely reshuffles authority within the executive branch.
“This bill simply shifts control from one group of executives to another,” he argued. “With a board made up of ministers from Education, Foreign Affairs, the Attorney General, and others, it raises the question—are we just changing who gets to decide who benefits from scholarships, without fixing the underlying issues?”
Asare emphasized that the bill fails to confront persistent problems such as nepotism, political interference, and the lack of a merit-based selection system.
“If you keep doing the same thing and expect different results, you won’t get them,” he said.
He recommended a clear separation of roles, where the regulatory authority sets standards but does not participate directly in awarding scholarships.
“Best practices suggest that academic faculties should recommend candidates based on merit, while the authority ensures compliance with established standards,” he explained.
Asare concluded by warning that maintaining executive control over scholarship approvals would only perpetuate past failures.
“If the executive continues to approve scholarships, we’re not solving the problem—we’re simply repeating it under a different administration,” he cautioned.
