The Fourth Estate, a vigilant private media organization, is set to enhance transparency within the scholarship sector by announcing plans to release a comprehensive list of scholarship beneficiaries for the years 2019 and 2020 after the release of their Exposé Scholarship Bonanza.
This bold move follows an investigative report that revealed how scholarships intended for academically brilliant yet financially needy students were allocated to individuals connected to powerful figures, including influential people and associates of prominent personalities.
The investigative journey began when The Fourth Estate’s request for the beneficiary list was initially rebuffed by the Scholarship Secretariat in March 2021. Undeterred, the media organization turned to the Right to Information (RTI) Commission to champion the cause for transparency.
The RTI Commission, advocating for the public’s right to know, especially regarding the use of public funds, mandated the release of the list, albeit with personal details redacted to protect privacy.
During a conversation with Bernard Avle on Citi FM’s Citi Breakfast Show, journalist Seth Kwame Bokpe revealed the extensive financial outlay by the Scholarship Secretariat, totaling GHS237.5 million and GHS200 million for the years 2019 and 2020, respectively. This funding covered both local and foreign scholarships.
The forthcoming publication of the list of over 900 beneficiaries promises to not only shed light on the allocation of these scholarships but also provide a value-for-money analysis, scrutinizing the return on investment for the Ghanaian taxpayer.
Among the disclosed beneficiaries are members and activists of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), including a special assistant to the Second Lady, Samira Bawumia.
Remarkably, GBP17,355 was expended for the special assistant’s enrollment at a university in the United Kingdom, a venture that saw minimal participation as the individual attended only a few online classes from Ghana without ever setting foot on campus.
Additionally, the report unearths instances of multiple scholarships awarded to at least 26 individuals, enabling them to undertake various programs either simultaneously within a single year or across two consecutive years.
The Fourth Estate’s initiative underscores a significant step towards ensuring accountability and equity in the distribution of educational resources, setting a precedent for journalistic diligence and advocacy for public interest.
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