An educational scholarship scheme aimed at rewarding best performing candidates in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) from the La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly (LaDMA) was launched in Accra on Tuesday.The scheme, an initiative from the Member of Parliament (MP) for La Dade-Kotopon Constituency, Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, is targeted at awarding male and female students with the best BECE results from the public and private schools in the assembly with GH¢ 5,000.00 each.Dubbed "Nye Awo Kpakpa Educational Scholarship Scheme" is to inspire academic excellence and to motivate students to strive for the best in life.Launching the programme, Ms Sowah indicated that the initiative is solely to support the parents in their preparations for their wards transition from Junior High School (JHS) to the Senior High School (SHS).She said education has always been her top priority and sees the opportunity to invest in the transition of a student from one academic level to the other as a way to encourage them to do more for themselves and their community.According to the MP who is also the Deputy Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, "it is not true that Free Senior High School has been cancelled by the current government" but rather private schools had been added to the initiative to enable more students to enjoy the policy.Ms Sowah encouraged parents and guardians to send their wards who have interest in Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to TVET institutions because it is the foundation of most career opportunities."TVET has the same potential on the academic calendar like SHS so stop branding it as the next level of education for those who did not perform well in the Basic education level," she stressed.As a sign of her commitment to the initiative, Ms Sowah presented the four dummy cheques to the Municipal Education Director for LaDMA, Mrs Habiba Kotomah with a promise to hand over the original cheque or cash to the students when the winners are declared.In her appreciation remarks, Mrs Kotomah welcomed the idea by the MP to support parents of pupils who show dedication and hard work towards their studies in the municipality.She indicated that the scholarship scheme will bring positive impact in the lives of the beneficiaries while motivating others to give out their best and finally pleaded for an extension of the initiative to cover more students including the SHS.The event was witnessed by the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for LaDMA, Mr Alfredos Nii Anyetei and other dignitaries.BY VICTOR A.
BUXTON
