 has criticised its exclusion from the newly inaugurated Scholarship Authority Board, describing the move as a betrayal of trust and a disregard for earlier assurances given to the union.){kind=link}
The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has criticised its exclusion from the newly inaugurated Scholarship Authority Board, describing the move as a betrayal of trust and a disregard for earlier assurances given to the union.
Speaking on the Channel One Newsroom, NUGS President, Rashid Ibrahim, said the union was promised representation on the board during stakeholder consultations prior to the passage of the Scholarship Authority Act. However, he noted that the law has since been passed and the board constituted without a single representative from NUGS.
According to Mr. Ibrahim, the development has left students across the country disappointed and worried about their exclusion from decisions that directly affect their welfare.
“We are objecting to the fact that there was an earlier promise during our stakeholder engagement that NUGS will have a representative on the Scholarship Authority Board. But surprisingly, the Act was passed and the board has been formed three days ago, and we do not have a NUGS representative on the board. We see this as a betrayal of trust,” he said.
His comments follow claims by the Ministry of Education that students are adequately represented on the board under a broader civil society grouping. Mr. Ibrahim rejected this assertion, arguing that NUGS is not a civil society organisation but the legally recognised body mandated to represent Ghanaian students.
He cited the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) Act as a precedent, noting that it explicitly provides for a student representative nominated by NUGS. He stressed that the same standard should apply to the Scholarship Authority to ensure effective student representation.
NUGS is therefore calling for an urgent amendment to the Scholarship Authority Act to clearly and unambiguously guarantee student representation on the board through a NUGS-appointed member.
Mr. Ibrahim warned that the union would escalate the matter if the Ministry of Education fails to address its concerns.
“If the ministry does not respond to our call, we intend to write an official petition to the President, the Speaker of Parliament, and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education for this issue to be addressed,” he said, adding that students would not allow the matter to rest if left unresolved.
NUGS maintained that its demands are not confrontational but are aimed at safeguarding the collective interests of Ghanaian students and promoting transparency and fairness in the governance of the Scholarship Authority.