“It Makes Sense”: Africa Education Watch Welcomes Termination Of COCOBOD Scholarship Scheme
- Africa Education Watch has backed the Ghana Cocoa Board's decision to end its scholarship scheme
- The Ghana Cocoa Board has ended its scholarship scheme, which has been in existence since 1951
- The board has instead set up a new Cocoa Board Education Trust to provide essential primary school infrastructure
Africa Education Watch has welcomed the Ghana Cocoa Board's decision to end its scholarship scheme, which has existed since 1951, because of the Free SHS policy.
Africa Education Watch's senior programme officer, Divine Kpe, told YEN.com.gh that this move "largely made sense".
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However, Kpe said some clarity was needed on how COCOBOD’s new education focus would be implemented.
The board has instead set up a new Cocoa Board Education Trust to provide essential primary school infrastructure in underserved cocoa-growing communities.
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Kpe advised that the COCOBOD ensured adequate engagement with cocoa farmers.
His outfit has previously expressed concerns that Free SHS is not adequately cushioning parents.
The education think tank found that the government is spending GH¢2,385 on the wards while the parents are spending GH¢4,000.
“We realised that it has an entry point at which some students are unable to enroll because they cannot afford the cost of a prospectus.”
Thus, Kpe suggested that COCOBOD could still cover just the enrollment cost for needy students if its assessment found that this was still a barrier to education access.
“I don’t think shouldering the cost of the prospectus will be huge for them compared to shouldering the cost of three years of Senior High School education.”
“They can decide to shoulder the cost of the prospectus at least. They will need an average of 2,500 per student each year.”
BoG boss appointed chairman of new COCOBOD educational trust fund
YEN.com.gh reported that the Governor of the Bank of Ghana has been appointed as the chairman of COCOBOD’s educational trust fund.
The committee members include the Director General of the Ghana Education Service, among others.
The board is mandated to provide primary educational infrastructure to benefit the children of cocoa farmers.
Proofread by Berlinda Entsie, journalist and copy editor at YEN.com.gh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
