Nothing wrong for politically exposed persons to access government scholarships – Buaben Asamoa
Communication Director for the ruling New Patriotic Party, Yaw Buaben Asamoah, says there is absolutely nothing wrong for politically exposed persons to access government scholarship.
According to him, provided the scholarship they (politically exposed persons) got was obtained through a proper application, there was nothing wrong with it.
“There is nothing wrong for politically exposed persons accessing properly through application and otherwise a means of capacity building,” he said.
Mr. Asamoa’s argument comes on the back of a revealing Auditor General’s report, which showed that the Education Minister, Matthew Opoku-Prempeh; the Procurement Minister and Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament, Sarah Adwoa Safo as well as the Executive Secretary of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), Prince Hamidu Armah, had all enjoyed the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) scholarships.
In an interview on TV3, monitored by theghanareport.com, Mr Asamoa said, “there are Members of Parliament, which I sit in, who are going to school, attending GIMPA and others, they want to become doctors [PHD holders].”
Ruling out the fact that, these politically exposed persons might be given a scholarship at the expense of the ordinary Ghanaian, who may truly need it, he said, “ not all the constituents would get { the scholarship} and not all of them are being put in strategic… the constituents have access to basic education to university and the state is trying to take care of that.”
The report lists Education Minister as studying National and International Security at Harvard University, receiving $12,800 for living expenses and $11,200 as tuition fees.
It also lists procurement Minister Sarah Adwoa Safo as studying at the Harvard Kennedy School enjoying $12,800 in allowances with $17,004 in tuition fees.
Dr. Armah, on the other hand, studied Philosophy in Education at the University of Aberdeen, which comes with a benefit of £38,400 for living expense besides £33,000 for tuition fees.
Document: How GETFUND ‘gifted’ more than 1,200 scholarships without seeing admission letters
You mean, even when you have the capacity to afford it? You are starving the needy child because you have a selfish craving for upgrading. What have we become as a nation? Remember, we have the liberty to do all things, but not all things are expedient of us.
They always come boasting that they are rich and self made and the unsuspecting electorate fall for the deception. Who ever thought that Napo of all bragarts will ever take our money to educate himself?