The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) has announced that it awarded scholarships to all special needs students who applied for financial support in tertiary institutions in 2023.
The issue of scholarships for persons with disabilities (PWDs) has gained significant attention as the flagbearers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have both pledged policies to expand scholarship opportunities for PWDs if elected in the upcoming December 7 general elections.
Speaking at the 2024 National Education Week exhibition, GETFund highlighted its efforts to enhance access to education through a significant expansion of local scholarships.
The number of recipients has grown from 300 in 2016 to 5,000 in 2023, with a focus on equity and aligning with national priorities, such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education.
In an interview with Citi News, GETFund’s Public Relations Officer, Isaac Asiedu-Odei, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to creating equal educational opportunities for all students, particularly those with disabilities.
“For instance, last year, all persons with special needs were granted, provided you confirm from the school whether indeed this guy mentioned that he is blind. We will write to the school. The school confirmed that indeed you are a person with a visual impairment. We confirmed that. All persons with special needs were granted, and we still want to repeat that.”
As one of the exhibitors of the National Education Week, the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) highlighted its transformative contributions to Ghana’s education sector over the past seven years.
Since 2017, GETFund has completed 3,077 physical infrastructure projects, ranging from kindergarten to tertiary-level facilities.
Responding to claims of project abandonment by the current administration, the administrator clarified that 1,800 out of 3,800 inherited projects have been completed. Among these are 16 E-blocks, with additional boarding facilities added to those in remote areas to enhance accessibility.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Citi News, the Director General of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), Professor Yayra Dzakadzie, announced that it will soon release the results of the 2024 standardized tests conducted by the institution to stakeholders involved in the process.
“These results will be communicated to the schools, to the individual learners, to know that this is my weakness, this is my strength, and this is where I need the support to be able to overcome my weakness. This is where I have the strength.”
The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, in a statement read on his behalf by the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, highlighted the government’s achievements in the education sector since 2017.
He said key initiatives such as the Free SHS and TVET programmes have significantly increased access to education, particularly for underserved communities.
The 2024 National Education Week was launched in Accra for stakeholders to evaluate Ghana’s progress in education, share best practices, and chart the path for the future. The week-long event is on the theme: “The Education Transformation Agenda: Evidence From 2017.”