The Citizens’ Coalition, a group of public interest civil society organisations and eminent individuals, has called on Parliament to suspend further consideration of the Ghana Scholarships Authority Bill, 2025, which is currently before the House.
This was signed in a statement on Thursday, July 17, by Kofi Asare, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch; Dr. Kojo Asante, Director of Partnerships and Policy Engagement at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana); and investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni.
The Coalition acknowledged the government’s efforts to reform the scholarship regime, however expressed concern over the speed with which the Bill is being processed.
They argued that there is no known emergency to justify fast-tracking such an important piece of legislation without public consultation.
“We, the Citizens’ Coalition, a group of Public Interest Civil Society Organizations and Eminent Citizens call on Parliament to suspend further consideration of the Ghana Scholarships Authority Bill, 2025, which is currently before the House.”
According to the Coalition, while the need for reform is undeniable, the current version of the Bill does not adequately address the structural weaknesses of Ghana’s existing scholarships system.
Instead of correcting issues like opacity, nepotism, and political interference, they argue, the Bill risks entrenching them further.
The group maintained that genuine reform must begin with broad stakeholder engagement, involving students, youth groups, tertiary institutions, civil society organisations, and development partners.
“While we commend the government for this laudable effort to strengthen the legal and institutional framework for scholarships management in Ghana, there is no known emergency in the management of scholarships that justifies the speedy consideration of this all-important Bill without public consultation.”
“Consequently, genuine reform must begin with broad stakeholder engagement, including students and youth groups, tertiary institutions, civil society organizations and development partners.”
They stressed that such consultations are vital to the development of a transparent, accountable, and merit-based scholarship regime that aligns with global best practices.
The Coalition therefore called on the Speaker of Parliament and the entire House to suspend further proceedings on the Bill to allow time for meaningful consultations.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
