The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has called on government to urgently amend the Scholarship Authority Act to allow students to be directly represented on the Authority’s Governing Board.
In a statement issued on January 9, 2026, the student body said it was not satisfied with the Ministry of Education’s response to concerns raised about the board’s composition. NUGS said the current arrangement does not clearly protect the interests of students, who are the main beneficiaries of the Scholarship Authority.
NUGS explained that Ghana already has clear examples of student representation in education governance. It pointed to the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), where the law allows NUGS to nominate a student representative to serve on the board. According to the union, the same approach should have been used in the Scholarship Authority Act.
The union also dismissed claims that it is represented through civil society organisations. NUGS stressed that it is not a civil society organisation but a recognised national student union with the mandate to speak for students across the country. It added that past NUGS leadership has openly rejected any attempt to classify the union under civil society groups.
NUGS said student representation on the Scholarship Authority board must be clearly stated in law and not assumed or implied. It argued that decisions taken by the Authority directly affect students and therefore require a guaranteed student voice, preferably through a NUGS-nominated representative.
The union therefore appealed to Parliament and the Ministry of Education to amend the law under a certificate of urgency. It believes this will remove uncertainty, build public trust, and bring the Scholarship Authority in line with accepted standards in Ghana’s education sector.
While maintaining a strong position, NUGS said it remains open to dialogue and cooperation. The union described its action as principled and focused on protecting the interests of Ghanaian students, not as an attack on any institution.
