{"id":2250,"date":"2025-07-17T13:47:52","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T13:47:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parliamentnews360.com\/?p=2250"},"modified":"2025-07-17T13:47:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T13:47:54","slug":"civil-society-and-pnafrica-call-for-halt-to-ghana-scholarships-authority-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parliamentnews360.com\/index.php\/civil-society-and-pnafrica-call-for-halt-to-ghana-scholarships-authority-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"CIVIL SOCIETY AND PNAFRICA CALL FOR HALT TO GHANA SCHOLARSHIPS AUTHORITY BILL"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Accra, July 17, 2025<\/em> \u2014 The Executive Director of Parliamentary Network Africa (PNAfrica), Mr. Sammy Obeng, has added his voice to growing public calls urging Parliament to suspend the ongoing consideration of the Ghana Scholarships Authority Bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a strongly-worded social media post, Mr. Obeng criticized the rushed manner in which the House is processing the 22-page Bill, warning that such \u201cindecent haste\u201d compromises transparency and public participation. The Bill, which was laid before Parliament on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, went through second reading and consideration in less than a week under a certificate of urgency \u2014 a move that has drawn criticism from open governance advocates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA draft legislation as important as the Ghana Scholarships Authority Bill must not go through the various stages of the lawmaking process with such indecent haste and close to zero public participation!\u201d Mr. Obeng posted. \u201cWe have had one-too-many scholarships-related scandals, hence a law to regulate this space must not be opaquely dealt with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He questioned the rationale behind the expedited process, asking why Parliament and the Ministry of Education were in a rush with barely a few sitting days left before the House rises. Mr. Obeng demanded evidence of public consultation from the joint committee responsible for the Bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Backing Mr. Obeng\u2019s concerns, a coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and eminent citizens, known as the Citizens\u2019 Coalition<\/strong>, has also called on the Speaker of Parliament to halt the process. In a statement signed by Kofi Asare of Africa Education Watch, Dr. Kojo Asante of CDD-Ghana, and investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, the group stressed that while the reform is laudable, the approach is flawed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is no known emergency in the management of scholarships that justifies the speedy consideration of this all-important Bill without public consultation,\u201d the Coalition said. \u201cThe Bill in its current form does not adequately address the structural weaknesses of the existing scholarships regime. Rather than remedying the prevailing opacity, nepotism, and political interference, it risks institutionalizing them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also referenced the current plight of some 200 Ghanaian students abroad facing deportation over unpaid tuition fees, urging Parliament not to use the situation as justification for bypassing stakeholder engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both PNAfrica and the Citizens\u2019 Coalition are calling for a transparent, inclusive, and merit-based framework that reflects global best practices and serves the national interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Clement Akoloh||parliamentnews360.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Executive Director of Parliamentary Network Africa (PNAfrica), Mr. Sammy Obeng, has added his voice to growing public calls urging Parliament to suspend the ongoing consideration of the Ghana Scholarships Authority Bill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[1354,1088,1355,546,549],"class_list":{"0":"post-2250","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general-news","8":"tag-citizens-coalition","9":"tag-executive-director-for-pnafrica","10":"tag-ghana-scholarships-authority-bill","11":"tag-pnafrica","12":"tag-sammy-obeng"},"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n