Bawumia launches online scholarship application system

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has launched the Scholarship Secretariat’s online scholarship application and administration system.

Beginning April 1, 2020, the online platform, ‘www.scholarship.com’ will allow applicants to apply from the comfort of their homes, take an aptitude test and be interviewed in their own districts without coming to Accra.

The Vice President said the new system would ensure there was transparency in the scholarship awards and help reduce the risk of corruption in the scholarship application process.

The new system would also provide accurate and reliable data on scholarship beneficiaries and track their academic progress.

Speaking at the launch on Tuesday, the Vice President said the digitisation of scholarship processes had come at the appropriate time since almost all institutions were temporarily closed.

“The enhanced use of technology, which is reflected in this administration’s digitization agenda, is a very relevant tool in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, as digitisation by its nature leads to social distancing.

“Today, we can access many services while sitting in the comfort of our homes, without the human interface which could lead to the spread of the virus.

“We are delivering and will continue to deliver more services online, such as the ECG app, paperless ports, DVLA, Passport Office and the rest. Indeed, God willing, we will launch the Ghana.gov portal next month, a one-stop-shop for accessing government services,” the Vice President said.

Dr Bawumia recalled that the piloting of the award processes at the regional levels in the 2018/2019 academic year led to significant achievements in the increase of scholarship awarded to Ghanaian students pursuing higher education in local institutions.

According to the Vice President, the strategic directive of the government introduced within that period led to a record of 30,000 Ghanaian students benefiting from the scheme in the 2019/2020 academic year.

He also mentioned that for the 2020/2021 academic year, Scholarships Secretariat and GETFund has made a provision for GH¢80 million to students in local tertiary institutions.

About 70,000 people are expected to benefit from the fund.

The Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat, Kingsley Agyeman, who took participants through the processes of application, expressed appreciation to the government for the support over the years, and pledged the commitment of the secretariat to do more to make accessing scholarships easier and more efficient.

The launch of the online portal is in line with President Akufo-Addo’s vision to digitise and formalise government service delivery processes, help to eliminate the inconveniences that applicants experience seeking government sponsorships and also help the Secretariat in the proper and efficient administration of scholarships in the country.