The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) says it will petition the Office of the President, the Education Ministry, or Parliament if the government fails to address concerns over the absence of student representation on the Governing Board of the Ghana Scholarships Authority.

Speaking on The Pulse on JoyNews, NUGS National President, Rashid Ibrahim, said students cannot be sidelined in decisions about scholarships because they are the direct beneficiaries.

“We intend to either petition the Office of the President, the Minister of State or the Speaker of Parliament to see how we can find an amicable resolution to this,” he said.

Mr Ibrahim said NUGS is also prepared to push for changes to the law if necessary.

“In the alternative, we are demanding that the Scholarship Authority Act must be amended. Or better still, the President has the power to revoke one appointment and nominate a student representative on the board in the short term.”

Read also: Education Minister inaugurates Governing Board of the Ghana Scholarships Authority

He explained that the union values engagement and partnership, especially on issues that directly affect students.

“We at NUGS value strategic partnership. We believe there must be stakeholder engagement on anything that concerns students in Ghana, particularly scholarships. Students are the direct beneficiaries of scholarships.”

According to him, it is unacceptable for a board that sets standards and administers scholarships to exclude students.

“If you are constituting a board that will administer scholarships in this country, it is only right that students are included on that board,” he argued.

Mr Ibrahim recalled that concerns about the lack of student representation were raised during discussions on the Scholarship Authority Act before it was passed.

“Before the act was finally passed, it became very topical that there was no student representation on the board. My predecessor issued a statement, and the Minister of Education even suspended the passage of the bill for further stakeholder consultation.”

He said it was during those consultations that student representation was agreed. “It was agreed that there would be student representation on the board. But today, the act has been passed, and there is still no student representation.”

Mr Ibrahim rejected the explanation that NUGS is covered under a general civil society organisation (CSO) umbrella.

“That is not the right thing. Scholarships are not administered to market women or farmers. They are administered to students.”

He cited other education-related laws as examples where student representation is clearly stated, saying, “If you look at the GETFund Act, it expressly states that there must be student representation nominated by NUGS or the Polytechnic Students Association of Ghana,” he said.

He added that having a student representative on the board would improve communication and accountability.

“If students have concerns, they cannot just call the President or the Minister. But if there is a student representative on the board, that person can easily raise those issues.”

Mr Ibrahim insisted that NUGS must be recognised separately and not grouped under CSOs.

“We represent students, and we must have a representative on the Scholarship Authority Board,” he said.

The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has criticised the inauguration of the Scholarship Authority Board because it does not include student representatives.

In a statement issued on Thursday, January 8, NUGS said the exclusion of students from the Board undermines fairness, transparency, and participatory governance, describing it as a departure from established practice and earlier assurances.

According to the union, students are the primary beneficiaries of scholarships and must therefore play an active role in decisions that shape the framework meant to support them.