150,000 free SHS graduates will enjoy a government scholarship | Education

Approximately 150,000 pioneering students of the free upper secondary education (SHS) policy who have qualified for tertiary education will benefit from government scholarships available from public and private institutions.

Consequently, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, based on the excellent performance of the students, ordered the Scholarship Secretariat to immediately open the online portal for students to apply for scholarships for their tertiary education.

Qualified students represent roughly 50 percent of the roughly 342,500 candidates who wrote the West African High School Certificate Exam (WASSCE) this year.

The Registrar for the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat, Mr. Kingsley Agyeman, who announced this at a media meeting in Accra yesterday, said it was another opportunity for recipients of the free SHS policy to enjoy free tertiary education.

Mr. Agyeman noted that this year was the only year in the last six years in which more than 50 percent of candidates scored between A1 and C6 in all core subjects.

He said that considering the extreme physical and psychological conditions in which the candidates wrote their exam, the results were a clear manifestation that government interventions were aimed at ensuring that young people in Ghana had access to inclusive quality SSH education. and equitable, as well as achieving better learning outcomes, we are working.

Decentralized scholarship

Mr Agyeman said that the decentralized tertiary scholarship administered by the Scholarship Secretariat covered the academic user or deserving student tuition fees at any accredited tertiary institution in Ghana, both private and public.

He added that the decentralized local scholarship paid the tuition fees of more than 30,000 students in the 2019/2020 academic year.

Explaining the reason behind the decentralized local grant, he said it was to increase accessibility and ensure transparency and fairness.

He said that the scholarship processes for the 2020/2021 academic year began in March 2020, with more than 300,000 Ghanaians applying from across the country.

As of yesterday, he said, all 11,581 applicants out of the expected 45,000 screened applicants from some 50 districts across the country had received full payment of tuition fees to their respective institutions.

The registrar expressed the hope that tertiary institutions would speed up the validation processes so that the secretariat could speed up actions on payment.

Free SHS

Mr. Agyeman commended the pioneer SHS students for their excellent performance on the WASSCE, despite the strict conditions under which they had written the exam, saying, “Congratulations to the parents and guardians of these children who believed in the vision. from President Akufo-Addo and fully participated in SHS’s free policy by enrolling his children and wards. “

“The government implemented a number of interventions, including math and science training for teachers, basic textbooks for all students, intervention scholarships for teachers, recovery packets given to all students, free uniforms, meals for students. daytime and internships, the provision of the above questions and lead examiner reports for students, support for underperforming schools, and prompt payment of grants, ”he said.

Exceptional boy

Mr. Agyeman said that the Scholarship Secretariat had responded positively to a directive from President Akufo-Addo to award scholarships to a graduate of Adeiso SHS in the Eastern Region, Thomas Amoaning, who obtained 8A at WASSCE 2020, despite his challenges. as a needy student.

The president’s directive was a reaction to Amoaning’s request for help in obtaining a degree in economics from the University of Ghana after its results were made public.

The secretariat has already contacted Amoaning’s family and started actions after the grant.