The Ghana Scholarships Secretariat has announced its decision to immediately open the online portal for free Senior High School (SHS) graduates to apply for scholarships for their tertiary education.
The Registrar of the Scholarships Secretariat, Kingsley Agyemang, who made this big announcement yesterday, also said the move was an opportunity for the 1st beneficiaries of the Free SHS policy to again enjoy tuition-free tertiary education in Ghana under President Akufo-Addo.
Mr Kingsley Agyemang was swift to add, however, that one needed to prove himself or herself eligible to obtain the goodies.
Explaining who was eligible, the Registrar indicated that all applicants who wrote the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 2020, and have gained admission or have applied for admission into an accredited local tertiary institution, are eligible to apply.
On the mode of application, all applicants are expected to go through the four easy steps as follows: open the web address, www.scholarshipgh.com, sign-up and create a user account to register, complete an application form and upload all required academic and admission documents, and complete an online aptitude test.
Timelines are that: 1St – 15Th December, 2020: application open, 16Th – 29Th December, 2020: nationwide selection interviews. By second week of January, 2021: validation and payments to respective institutions.
“I want to use this opportunity to call on the ‘Akufo-Addo Graduates to seize this big opportunity and apply. As indicated by the President, no Ghanaian child should be left behind.”
According to the Registrar, the successful launch of the online application system in April this year saw more than 300,000 applicants submit their online applications.
In conclusion, Mr Kingsley Agyemang said: “The fact cannot be gainsaid that education has always been the backbone of our development as a nation. To make it one of the priority areas in a manifesto is something that needs commendation, and to even walk the talk deserves more commendation. Education has proven to be the most effective bridge in closing the gap between the rich and the poor, and requires all the seriousness it deserves, something the Akufo-Addo government has done and continues to do.
“To our friends in the NDC, let them continue to downplay the level of commitment attached to the free senior high school by the current administration.
“Beyond offering such [an] opportunity to all, one of the cardinal imperatives of the policy is to lower the high levels of illiteracy in our society. The bold step taken by President Akufo-Addo will soon yield good fruits, and Ghana shall prosper.”
Again, the first batch of these Free SHS graduates who would be eligible will be able to enjoy a tuition-free tertiary education in Ghana, under His Excellency President Akufo-Addo.
However, before the big announcement, which had been publicised for about a week, the NDC issued a statement to promise free tertiary education for first year students in the 2021/2022 Academic Year.
Signed by its National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, the statement said the National Democratic Congress (NDC) announces that it has accepted for incorporation in the Peoples’ Manifesto, the recommendation of the Education Policy Group of the party, that the next NDC government absorbs the full school fees of Ghanaian students who will be admitted to tertiary institutions in the 2020/2021 Academic Year.
“This policy is an enhancement of our commitment in the People’s Manifesto to absorb 50% of the school fees of all tertiary students for the 2020/2021 Academic Year through the “KYEMUPE” policy, which will now apply to only continuing students in tertiary institutions in the country,” the statement noted.
On the contrary, Mr Kingsley Agyemang highlighted that it was interesting to note “that the naysayers, prophets of doom, defeatists, cynics, detractors, who once described the policy as not doable, are now in a rush to claim credit for it. “Probably, the NDC and their apparatchiks, who went shouting ‘mobey3 ama yahw3, enyeyie, its 419’, think we have short memories and might have forgotten all the bastardisation against the policy.
“But Ghanaians are discerning now and can read between a government that wants to better the lives of its people and one that will only want to run down what has been put in place by its predecessor.
“It will not be far-fetched to refresh our memories with some of the things these naysayers said about the free SHS.”
The post Gov’t announces tertiary scholarships for Akufo-Addo graduates appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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