The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) held its annual stakeholders’ forum on Tuesday at the University of Professional Studies, Madina in Accra.
Under the theme “Supporting the Delivery of Quality Education in Ghana,” the event highlighted the achievements and execution of GETFund’s flagship projects.
The program was attended by management members led by Board Chairman, Professor Dominic Forbih, along with university lecturers, heads of schools, and students.
Speaking at the forum, GETFund Administrator Dr. Richard Ampofo Boadu explained that the purpose of the forum was to educate Ghanaians on the achievements of the trust fund. He highlighted how the fund’s operations have significantly impacted public education in Ghana.
Dr. Boadu noted that the core mandate of GETFund is to provide supplementary funding support across all levels of public education. He added that GETFund is guided by Act 581, which provides a distribution formula to ensure spending is fair and equitable, with certain critical areas ring-fenced to ensure they receive necessary funding support.
Dr. Boadu stated that the 2023-2024 academic year saw a notable increase in local scholarships.
He explained that the fund’s scholarship reforms have been fruitful, particularly in foreign scholarships, which increased from 104 awards at the graduate and undergraduate levels in 2017/18 to 352 in 2019/20. At the local award level, recipients at all levels rose from 333 in 2017/18 to 1,680 in the 2019/20 academic year, and to over 4,200 in 2022/23.
In addition, between 2019-2021, 2,718 vehicles were distributed to various agencies and institutions under the Ministry of Education. Over the same period, a total of 677,470 furniture items were provided to basic and secondary schools.
GETFund has, for over 15 years, supported scholars pursuing higher education at both local and foreign institutions in line with its mandate to enhance the quality of education in Ghana. Throughout its operation, the fund has sponsored more than 16,000 scholars at both local and foreign educational institutions.
Projects Initiated Since 2017 across all 16 Region
(2027 till date): 2,749 + Projects initiated across all 16 Regions
| Basic Education | Secondary Education | Model schools | TVET Centres | Tertiary Education |
| 1,501 | 1,161 | 09 | 04 | 74 |
2,718 vehicles were distributed to various agencies and institutions under the Ministry of Education between 2019-2021.
A total number of 677,470 Furniture items have been distributed to basic and secondary schools between 2019-2021.
Introducing Getfund sponsorship & scholarships programme
GETFund has in the past 15+ years supported scholars attaining high education in various programmes at both local foreign institutions n-line with the Fund’s mandate to support the delivery of quality education. The Fund in its lifetime has sponsored over 16,000 scholars to both local foreign educational institutions.
SPONSORSHIP & SCHOLARSHIPS CATEGORIES
| GENERAL SCHOLARSHIPS | FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES | PROFESSIONAL ENHANCEMENT & CAPACITY BUILDING | EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME & ACTIVITY SPONSORSHIP |
| Applications from general population for Tertiary | PhD-Application from GTEC | Government organizations-Police Service, Prison Service, fire Service, Judicial Service, Parliamentary Service etc. | National Science and Maths Quiz, Robotics Competitions & Programmes, STEM Programmes, etc. |
INCREASE IN LOCAL SCHOLARSHIPS
5,026 Majority of local scholarship awards (estimated 74%) go to the public Universities
2023/2024 Academic Year – 5,026
2019/2020 Academic Year – 1680
Majority of local scholarship awards (roughly 74%) go to the public Universities
University of Ghana
University of Cape Coast
KNUST
GIMPA
UPSA
At the heart of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) Scholarship Programme lies a streamlined process that transforms aspirations into tangible opportunities for academic brilliance.
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME PROCESSES
| Scholarship Cycle setup Management Decision: Start Application Process Cycle | Application call Open & Closure of Call: Call for all Aspirants to submit applications for scholarships | Review & Validation Scholarship Management Team |
| Selection & Award Education Committee(Application Evaluation) | Payment & Post Award management | Validation/screening of applicants’ Data |
REFORMS
With particular reference to its mandate to support education through the award of both local and foreign scholarships at undergraduate and graduate levels, the Fund has instituted several reforms to ensure transparency and effective outcomes.
- Streamlining eligibility criteria
- Digitize application process
- Emphasis on STEM subjects
- Increased support for Girl-child education (Giving extra weighting to lady applicants)
- Overhauled the bottlenecks that created the embarrassing situation of foreign scholars’ fees and stipends not being paid on time, with borrowing consequences.
- Scholarship programme monitoring.
Source: David Andoh
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