The assertions of National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa that he was not aware of GETFund scholarship transactions while serving as Deputy Minister of Education have been disputed.
DAILY GUIDE has learned that as a minister in the NDC government, Mr. Ablakwa was extensively involved in GETFund scholarship agreements.
A memorandum of agreement (MoU) has been signed by Mr. Ablakwa on behalf of GETFund and Lovely Professional University (LPU) of India.
The contentious Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was signed on March 16, 2016, was primarily created to benefit Ghanaian institutions and help acquire scholarship agreements for Ghanaian students to study in India.
It went on to explain that GETFund was Ghana’s top educational authority and that it oversaw the development of all institutions that were part of the country’s higher education system.
It stated that the GETFund and the LPU had both realised they shared a wide range of interests and that working together would be advantageous to both parties.
“GETFund, Ghana has tied up with LPU to provide access to quality education to the students of Ghana,” the MoU, which had Dr. Monica Gulati, the Registrar of LPU, also as a signatory, indicated.
“GETFund intends to further work with LPU, which has already made a significant contribution in the area of higher education in India to guide and mentor universities/colleges and such other organisations,” the MoU added.
The publication of the paper coincides with Mr. Ablakwa’s public denial that he was aware of GETFund scholarship activities while serving as deputy minister of education.
Since it became known that some MPs and government representatives from the NDC and the NPP had benefited from GETFund scholarships, there have been ferocious discussions in the media.
Even in the GETFund paperwork, there is a name Mercy Ablakwa, thought to be a relative of Mr. Ablakwa, showing that she received a scholarship from GETFund in 2010.
According to a letter of award allegedly signed by Sam Garba, the GETFund administrator, the aforementioned Mercy Ablakwa received a total of $33,400 on August 12, 2010, to pursue a BSc in Nursing at the University of Charleston in the United States.
$16,032 went toward academic scholarships, and $17,366 went toward living expenses and travel.