A total of 4,276 scholarships have been issued by the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) in the 2022/2023 academic year to applicants.

Out of the figure, 1,328 constituted postgraduate scholarships, while 2,948 constituted undergraduate scholarships.

The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) Administrator, Dr Richard Ampofo Boadu, said this at a forum in Accra, where he explained the process of applying for a scholarship had reduced from nine months to four months due to the digital management system adopted by the fund.

The forum Organised by GETFund, brought together stakeholders in the education sector to share their concerns and offer suggestions for the improvement of the fund.

It was also an opportunity for GETFund to brief its key stakeholders on the projects and successes chalked up so far.

Speaking on the theme: “Innovation: a must to achieving positive outcomes” he said that a total of 2,731 infrastructure projects have been completed by the GETFund between 2019 and 2023, adding that the projects include 1,430 at the basic school level, 1,144 for the Senior High School level, and 138 at the tertiary level.

He explained that out of the total, 1,651 legacy projects that had been completed included 15 E-blocks, 936 basic school projects, 563 SHS projects and 137 tertiary school projects.

He gave an assurance that beginning next year, the fund would commit 70 percent of its money to completing all projects.

He said about GH¢800 million had so far been paid to contractors who were awarded with these projects and these constituted about 96 percent of the cost.

The Minister of Ed­ucation, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, also noted that said education and infrastructure were means of promoting a quality education system that would transform teaching and learning in schools, and also equip students for the job market.

Dr. Adutwum said GETFUND through the Ministry of Educa­tion had been prioritising Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), and had built some STEM schools and centres to encourage and equip students.

Dr Adutwum said despite the GETFUND scholarship and infrastructure programmes, the government through the Ministry of Education is also embarking on schools building initiative with funding from international partners.

He added that the government through the Kuwait fund isGETFund forum building three STEM high schools in the country, while the Arab De­velopment Bank, is also assisting the government with infrastructure development projects in some senior high schools.