The Minister of Training, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, has introduced plans to put earlier than Parliament the Ghana Scholarship Authority Invoice, geared toward reforming the nation’s scholarship system.
The proposed laws seeks to ascertain a Ghana Scholarship Authority to interchange the present Scholarship Secretariat whereas enhancing transparency within the choice processes for awarding scholarships to Ghanaian college students.
“I’m glad to announce that I will likely be introducing in Parliament inside the subsequent few weeks, the Ghana Scholarship Authority Invoice on behalf of the President, as he pledged to the Ghanaian individuals to deal with problems with nepotism and cronyism within the scholarship award system,” Mr Iddrisu famous.
He made the announcement on the 2024 West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Distinction Awards ceremony held in Accra on Thursday.
The annual occasion honours Ghanaian college students who excel within the West Africa Senior College Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
In accordance with the Minister, as a part of the brand new invoice, all WAEC distinction awardees would automatically profit from authorities scholarships.
He added that the variety of awardees would even be elevated from the present three to 10.
“All awardees, together with the general finest performing candidate in WASSCE each different 12 months will likely be decided solely by WAEC and can qualify for President Mahama’s scholarship,” the Minister elaborated.
Moreover, he talked about that the choice course of can be free from exterior interference, with the ten top-performing college students receiving full scholarships below the Ghana Training Belief Fund (GETFund), administered by the soon-to-be-established Scholarship Authority.
Mr Iddrisu urged the Ghana Training Service (GES) and WAEC to collaborate in restoring the nation’s tutorial calendar to its unique construction, which was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We aren’t notably glad that since COVID-19, our tutorial calendar has affected the seamless transition of scholars to the subsequent stage of their profession improvement.
I urge the GES and WAEC to work collectively to revive an settle forin a position calendar; one that’s in sync with the remainder of the West African system,” he careworn.
Relating the broader educational reforms, the Minister emphasised that the sector should not solely concentrate on enhancing literacy and numeracy but in addition on constructing character amongst college students.
He, due to this fact, charged the GES to implement self-discipline in faculties and deal decisively with college students who have interaction in misconduct, assuring them of the state’s full help in restoring a tradition of self-discipline within the nation’s training system.
The Head of Nationwide Workplace, WAEC, Dr Rosemond Wilson, bemoaned the rising circumstances of malpractices typically recorded throughout WASSCE and BECE each academic 12 months.
She thus known as for collective efforts in addressing the problem whereas commending the assorted safety businesses for making certain that culprits in examination malpractices have been apprehended.
In the meantime, the general finest WASSCE 2024 candidate in Ghana in addition to one of the best candidate within the Normal Science programme went to Mr David Niii Commey Ankrah, a previous pupil of the Hope School within the Central Area.
He was introduced with money prizes from Zenith Financial institution Ghana Restricted, the sponsors of the award.
Additionally, Mr Henschel Tabi Frimpong-Manso, from the Kade Senior Excessive Technical College and Mr Debrah Benedict Ofori, from the Presbyterian Boys’ Senior Excessive College, occupied the second and third positions, respectively.
Different awardees have been Ms Ameera Issifu (Finest Candidate, Normal Science), Mr Uriel Yeboah Afrah, (Finest Candidate, Enterprise), and Mr Virtues Akye Mensah (Finest Candidate, Visible Arts).
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
