The Chairman of Parliament’s Education Committee, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, has blamed corruption and nepotism for the deepening crisis in Ghana’s foreign scholarship scheme, which has left the government owing around £40 million to universities in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Some universities have reportedly begun blacklisting Ghanaian students due to the non-payment of tuition fees and stipends, Mr Nortsu-Kotoe disclosed during a radio interview on Citi FM on Tuesday, July 15, 2025.

According to him, the problem stems from how scholarships were awarded, including expensive short-term programmes and irregular selection processes.

He noted that the committee began receiving complaints as early as June and July last year about Ghanaian students being turned away from lectures or forced to return home because their fees had not been paid.

“Our investigation as a committee revealed that the number of students on scholarship abroad, the amounts involved, the nature of the programmes, and how the selection was done created the problem,” Mr Nortsu-Kotoe said.

He cited short courses in the UK and US, some costing between £15,000 and £25,000 and lasting as little as three months, as a key concern. “Putting all that money together was so huge,” he added.

The Committee Chair stated that the registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat initially declined to appear before Parliament, arguing that the agency reported directly to the Presidency, not the Ministry of Education. When he eventually did appear, he confirmed significant delays in the release of funds.

President John Mahama has since ordered that the Scholarship Secretariat be placed under the Ministry of Education to allow for better supervision. Parliament is also reviewing the National Scholarship Authority Bill, which seeks to establish a governing board to oversee scholarship awards.

Currently, the secretariat operates without a board, raising concerns about a lack of accountability. “So whoever is in charge of the secretariat can do anything,” Mr Nortsu-Kotoe noted.

He said that scholarships in the past had been awarded or “shared like kelewele”, but promised that the new system would include clear criteria and oversight mechanisms.

In the meantime, the registrar is negotiating with affected universities to delay fee enforcement, particularly for students with only a few months left to complete their programmes. The committee is also working with the secretariat to prioritise those nearing completion.

Mr Nortsu-Kotoe acknowledged that while the debt may have been inherited from previous administrations, the current government must evaluate how the scholarships were awarded before making payments.

The crisis has left many Ghanaian students abroad stranded and at risk of losing their accommodation or place in school, as institutions take action over the unpaid fees.