Govt reveals total of teacher trainees given scholarships since 2017

A total of 5,000 teacher trainees from various public Colleges of Education have been awarded scholarships by the central government in the last seven years, the Registrar of the Registrar of Scholarships Dr Kingsley Agyeman has said.

Speaking at a TTAG conference, the Scholarship Registrar said scholarships represent more than financial aid and serve as vital lifeline, empowering teacher trainees to chase their educational dreams without the worry of tuition fees.

Citing the scholarship importance, he said he had observed the profound impact that scholarships have had on the lives of teacher trainees, a move that marked a significant milestone in government’s commitment to supporting teacher education.

“This support is complementary to the government’s allowance scheme, which I fervently support for its continued role in bolstering teacher education. A stance that is particularly poignant when considering the varying positions of previous administrations on such allowances.” he said at the Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana (TTAG) conference.

Meanwhile, a Fourth Estate report has mentioned some prominent figures including politicians and Chief Executive Officers in the country as beneficiaries of the central government scholarship meant for brilliant but needy students.

In the Estate report, it said Dr Addo, the founder of the Claron Hospital is one of many figures who have been competing with some of the country’s poor but brilliant students for funding from the Scholarship Secretariat.

It also said an official of National Service Scheme also obtained a government scholarship  of GBP18,450 to study at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom in 2020 to pursue an MSc in Development Policy and Politics.

The NSS official according to the Fourth Estate report sighted by Thisterm.com was awarded the scholarship three years after she started working for the National Service Secretariat (NSS) as Deputy Executive Director.

“Fawzy Ramadan, a relative and personal assistant to Second Lady, Samira Bawumia, was awarded GBP17,355 to cover the cost of tuition for an MSc in Global Supply Chain Management at Brunel University in the UK.

However, Mr Ramadan never pursued the course because he claimed he was involved in an accident during the peak of COVID-19 and could not defer the course. Neither he nor the state benefitted in any way from the tuition fee paid to the Brunel University on his behalf. He said the school later wrote to him demanding the cost of accommodation from him when he had not  stepped a foot on the university’s campus,” the report said.

The Estate further said the Scholarship Secretariat in 2020 paid the University of Birmingham GBP16,740f for Michael Ofori-Atta Jr, a relative of President Akufo-Addo to enroll in a programme called the Foundation Pathways – Social Sciences, Business and Law.