Minister-designate says scholarship scheme needs to be reviewed

Accra, Feb 15, GNA - Alhaji Lumina Mohammed, Minister designate at the Presidency in charge of the National Scholarship scheme, said the scheme would have to be reviewed to find out if the current selection criteria satisfy issues of equity and fairness.

This, he said, is because since the establishment of the scheme in 1960 it has never been reviewed and was facing a lot of challenges.

Alhaji Mohammed said this when he was vetted by the Appointment Committee of Parliament chaired by Mr Ebo Barton Oduro, First Deputy Speaker.

He said the Scholarship Secretariat is an office without ministerial oversight and when he is given the nod he would work together with GETFund Secretariat that grants supplementary funding for an efficient and effective running of the scheme.

He said human resource development was key to the country's development therefore jobs needed to be created but questioned if the youth have the requisite skills to be employed, an issue which calls for critical look into the country's resource development.

Alhaji Mohamed said there were no credible institutions involved in human resource development, thus the need for a platform to where human resource development issues could be handled.     

On issues of Hajj, he said 2008 was a year that the best Hajj was organized adding that Hajj is an event management and needed skilful people to organize things well.

GNA