I was needy when I applied for GETFund scholarship – NaCCA boss

The Executive Secretary of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), Dr Prince Hamid Armah, has explained that he was a needy student at the time that he applied for a GETFund scholarship to study for a doctorate degree in 2012.

According to him, not only did he deserve the scholarship, but that it was also validated.

Dr Armah and other government officials have been listed in an audited account of the scholarship secretariat as beneficiaries of GETFund scholarships for various studies abroad.

Dr Armah is said to have received £38,400 for living expense in addition to £33,000 for tuition fees.

Reacting to the report, Dr Armah in a Facebook post said the scholarship predates his current position as the Executive Secretary of the NaCCA.

He therefore urged the public to “disregard this palpably false story”.

• Read also: 
• NAPO explains he received GETFund support in 2014
• Performance Audit Report of the Auditor-General on the administration of scholarships by GETFund

Below is Dr Armah's full statement explaining himself

1.  That I am indeed a proud and grateful recipient of a Ghana Education Trust Fund scholarship.
2. That I applied for and won the scholarship in 2012 to study for a doctorate in Mathematics Education at the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom in 2012
3. That not only was this scholarship deserved, it was validated, if that were needed, by several awards and grants awarded by various institutions in the United Kingdom during my period of study
4. That in fulfilment of the promise I made, I immediately returned to Ghana after my studies, despite the opportunity and ability to remain in the UK to take up more lucrative appointments.
5. That I believe that the scholarship scheme we have is best used to support needy students, as I was then, in order to give them a chance to contribute to the task of nation building, as I have done every day since my studies.
6. In conclusion, I urge the public to disregard this palpably false story that is driven purely by the worst political instincts that we must work to banish from my nation, while we actively work to expand opportunity and bridge the social and economic inequalities in our nation, a task I am fully committed to in my duties at the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.

Sgd

Prince Hamid Armah, PhD
Executive Secretary
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment