Deputy Minister for Education, Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, has reaffirmed his long-standing call for accountability in Ghana’s scholarship administration, insisting that his position on the issue has remained consistent and that his personal integrity is unimpeached.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, February 4, Dr. Apaak addressed renewed public discussions surrounding alleged corruption in the award of state-funded scholarships, stressing that his views have not changed since his time in opposition.
“Make your own conclusions, facts are indeed sacred,” he wrote. “I gave my best in opposition and continue to do so in government as expected of me by my appointor. My integrity remains intact, no one can change that.”
The Deputy Minister also linked his stance to values instilled during his early life, adding: “I was raised by parents who imbibed in me strong values and principles; those who know me know this. Truth stands!”
His post was accompanied by screenshots of past media headlines highlighting his outspoken criticism of alleged malpractice at the Scholarship Secretariat during his tenure as an opposition Member of Parliament.
Dr. Apaak’s remarks recall his reaction to a Fourth Estate investigative report published under the erstwhile Akufo-Addo administration, which raised concerns over the alleged award of state scholarships to politically connected and privileged individuals.
At the time, speaking in Twi during a phone-in interview on Oyerepa TV, Dr. Apaak called for a forensic audit of the Scholarship Secretariat, grounding his argument in both his parliamentary oversight role and his personal experience as a beneficiary of foreign education.
“What we are suspecting is that there has to be a forensic audit at the Scholarship Secretariat,” he said.
“As an MP and someone interested in education, and as a person who has studied in Norway and Canada, I understand the plight of Ghanaian students living abroad.”
He further questioned disparities in stipend disbursements to scholarship beneficiaries, asking: “So how come beneficiaries don’t receive their stipends, and there are those who dubiously got into the list of beneficiaries but are receiving stipends regularly? What does that tell you?”
By resurfacing his past statements, Dr. Apaak appears keen to underline that his opposition to corruption in scholarship administration has not diminished with his transition from opposition into government.
