Ghana’s Scholarship Secretariat is under fire! The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) launched an investigation in July 2023 following media reports, including an exposé by The Fourth Estate, which exposed scholarship awards going to wealthy students.
This directly contradicts the Secretariat’s purpose of supporting bright students from underprivileged backgrounds. Even lawmakers are calling for action, with the Minority in Parliament urging the OSP to dig deeper.
The Fourth Estate’s exposé on the Scholarship Secretariat uncovered several concerning practices:
- Scholarships Awarded to Wealthy Applicants: The investigation revealed instances where scholarships were given to students from well-off families. This directly contradicts the Secretariat’s mandate, which is to support financially needy but academically talented students.
- Double Dipping: The exposé found cases where some beneficiaries received scholarships for multiple programs, raising questions about the allocation process and fairness. The Scholarship Secretariat attributed some of this to administrative errors, but others suspected exploitation.
- Opaque Scholarship Distribution: The Fourth Estate initially faced resistance when requesting data on scholarship recipients. This lack of transparency fueled public suspicion about who was truly benefiting from the program.
- Millions Spent Abroad on Local Courses: The investigation highlighted instances where the Secretariat funded expensive overseas programs for courses readily available in Ghana. This raised questions about the prioritization of resources and potential for cost-saving measures.
The exposé sparked public outrage and led to calls for reform. It also prompted the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to launch its own investigation into the Scholarship Secretariat’s activities.
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