Scholarship reforms to block political interference – Haruna Iddrisu

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu says recent scholarship reforms are designed to completely shut out political influence and personal discretion from the award of state-funded scholarships.

Mr Iddrisu made the remarks on Wednesday while inaugurating the board of directors of the Ghana Scholarship Authority with the support of Deputy Minister for Education, Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, weeks after Parliament approved the Ghana Scholarship Authority Bill to overhaul scholarship administration.

“One of the major promises President John Dramani Mahama made was to regulate and administer scholarships in a manner that is devoid of cronyism, corruption and undue advantage,” the minister said. “That mandate has now been vested in you so it is no longer an individual decision.”

He criticised past practices where public officials allegedly influenced scholarship awards in favour of relatives and political allies, describing such conduct as a betrayal of public trust.

“Somebody should not get to a position and decide that I am awarding the scholarship to my son or cousin, or even a Member of Parliament who has the capacity to finance himself,” he said. “That is an unacceptable practice in our governance.”

Mr Iddrisu stressed that neither he nor his deputy would interfere in the work of the authority.

“We are not among those who will come knocking on your door asking that scholarships be awarded to our children. That is not acceptable. We simply will not do that,” he told the board.

According to him, the new legal framework places clear limits on political influence by defining strict criteria for scholarship awards.

He said all decisions must be guided by merit, genuine financial need and specific categories linked to national priorities.

“Nothing more should guide you in the award of any scholarship,” he said.

The minister said the reforms would also allow government to strategically deploy scholarships to support areas critical to Ghana’s future development, including science, technology and innovation.

“Today the world is discussing artificial intelligence. It will not be out of place for the authority to sponsor a few Ghanaian students to acquire expertise and return to support national development,” he noted.

Parliament passed the Ghana Scholarship Authority Bill in November last year following broad concerns about transparency and oversight.

Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin announced its passage after the House unanimously endorsed the bill.

Mr Iddrisu said the authority now carries a responsibility to protect public trust and ensure that scholarship awards contribute meaningfully to building Ghana’s human capital in a rapidly evolving global economy.