Parliament has suspended further consideration of the Ghana Scholarships Authority Bill, 2025, following calls for broader stakeholder engagement.
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The decision came after Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu requested a pause during the clause-by-clause review of the bill on Thursday, July 17. He cited concerns raised by the Office of the President and civil society groups.
“Two petitions have been received, and I will be meeting the coalition of civil society groups in education on Tuesday, July 22, for further discussions,” the Minister told the House.
The Citizens’ Coalition, comprising public interest civil society organizations, earlier urged Parliament to suspend the bill, emphasizing the need for public consultation.
In a statement, the group said the proposed bill, while a step toward reforming the scholarship system, fails to address core issues such as nepotism, lack of transparency, and political interference.
It warned that the bill risks institutionalizing the very problems it seeks to solve. “There is no known emergency to justify the rushed passage of this bill without broader public consultation,” the Coalition stated.
The bill seeks to establish the Ghana Scholarships Authority, transferring the current Scholarship Secretariat from the Office of the President to the Ministry of Education, with the goal of ensuring merit-based, transparent scholarship awards.
