A former Auditor-General, Dominic Yao Domelevo, has expressed concern about the misuse of scholarships in Ghana, stating that there is a serious problem within the system if those who are already financially well-off are considered needy and therefore become beneficiaries.
He emphasised the disturbing trend of people abusing scholarships intended for gifted but economically disadvantaged students in the country and expressed bewilderment at the Scholarship Secretariat’s failure to address this ongoing abuse.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, April 6, Mr Domelevo stated that while perhaps initially, the Secretariat may not have been aware of these issues, they have now been brought to light through audits, yet no action has been taken.
“So I thought maybe they didn’t know, so at least since the audit has revealed some of these things, it was very easy to say look, let’s see what is expected of us, the law says this.”
He continued, “If we have a society in which the highest-paid class can classify themselves as needy, then we are in trouble.”
Mr Domelevo cited an example where someone on a forum argued that a minister earning about GH₵25,000 per month should be considered needy and granted a scholarship, stressing that some teachers and public servants do not even earn GH₵5,000 monthly.
“So if you are taking between GH₵25,000 to GH₵30,000 a month and you are needy and so it is you who is supposed to benefit from this fund, then I find it unfortunate,” the former Auditor-General stressed.
His remarks follow the Fourth Estate’s latest publication christened ‘Scholarship Bonanza’, which named persons close to key government officials as beneficiaries of scholarships that it deems inappropriate.
Notably, children of the National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and a former Inspector General of Police were listed among the beneficiaries.
Many people have since condemned the act and asked for the Secretariat to be transparent. However, the Registrar maintains the secretariat did nothing wrong.
