Former Power Minister, Dr. Kwabena Donkor, has called on the government to be more deliberate in shaping Ghana’s socio-economic development through directed studentship programs.
Dr. Kwabena Donkor says the current mass production of graduates without recourse to the national development priorities is a major dent on the country’s economic development aspirations.
In an exclusive interview with The High Street Journal, the former Member of Parliament for Pru East maintained that it is crucial for the Ghanaian state to deliberately shape educational outcomes through targeted scholarships and studentships in the country’s tertiary institutions.
These studentships, he says, must be focused on pushing students into disciplines that directly serve the nation’s development priorities.
Deliberate Investment in Education
Dr. Donkor emphasised that education should not be left to chance. He argued that a deliberate strategy is needed.
He calls on the government to consciously identify areas of critical importance and direct resources accordingly.
“I want to call on the Ghanaian state to be deliberate about educational outcomes. I would want to see the Ghanaian state using scholarships to direct critical brains into areas of national priority,” Dr. Kwabena Donkor noted.
Studentships as Tools for National Priorities
As an example, he suggested the creation of at least 5,000 government-funded studentships in every public university, each allocated across clearly defined priority fields. He believes a program of this kind will highlight the areas of priority and push students into such disciplines.
Under his proposal, he noted that specific quotas would be assigned. For instance, 100 for medicine, 100 for architecture, 100 for chemical engineering, 100 for computer engineering, 100 for civil engineering, 100 for life sciences, 100 for basic sciences, 100 for actuarial sciences, 100 for land economy, and very small numbers for areas with less immediate importance.
“If you do that, you are highlighting the areas of priority. You are heading people into the areas. You are deliberately pushing people to where we need,” he remarked.
Redirecting Scarce Resources
Dr. Donkor cautioned that Ghana cannot afford to spread its limited resources thinly across all fields of study under the current mass tuition-free policy in public universities. Instead, he argued for the redirection of resources towards areas that meet national priority goals.
He insists that individuals who have their personal resources can choose to do whatever they want to read. But the state, with its finite resources, must guide talent into areas of strategic need.
He said, “The Ghanaian state should be thinking, rather than this mass tender we have where tuition is free in all public universities, look, let’s redirect the resources. We don’t have infinite resources.”
“Let’s direct what we have towards the areas that meet our national priority goals. Individuals who have their personal resources can choose to do whatever they want. If you want to read other courses that are not in the immediate priority area.”
Defining the Next Decade’s Priorities
To make this possible, Dr. Donkor urged the state to first define its national priorities over the next five to ten years, and then design scholarships, research grants, and studentship allocations that deliberately steer students into those areas.
“It also means we have to define our priority for the next five, ten years. And then use the studentships, use research grants, use other methodologies to encourage people into those predetermined areas,” he said.
Education as a Driver of Development
Dr. Kwabena Donkor is of the firm belief that education policy must be a tool for national transformation, not just personal advancement. By directing talent into medicine, engineering, science, technology, and other critical disciplines, Ghana can build the human capital needed to power industrialisation, strengthen healthcare, and expand its economic competitiveness.
For him, the socio-economic development the country envisages demands deliberate choices in education and studentships, research support, and scholarships are very important tools to consider.
