Author: Web Desk

Sixty (60) brilliant but needy students in the Northern sector of the country pursuing various courses have received scholarship from the MTN Foundation at a brief ceremony in Kumasi.
The beneficiaries drawn from 17 public universities across the country were the second batch to be awarded by the telecommunication giants under its Bright Scholarship programme launched in 2018.
Dubbed: ‘Bright Scholarship Reloaded,’ the initiative seeks to ease the financial burden on students who are excelling academically but struggling to cater for their tuition and hostel fees.
Each of the public universities in the 16 regions were represented as part of the selection criteria, which ensured 200 applicants were shortlisted among 1,900 applications received across the country.
The number was further reduced to 120 after a rigorous selection process with emphasis on engineering, information communication technology (ICT), computer science and the sciences.
Persons with disabilities were also not left of the life-changing opportunity in line with the company’s values which include inclusivity and fairness.
Apart from covering tuition and hostel fees, the beneficiaries would also receive a stipend every semester in addition to a laptop each from MTN as part of the scholarship.
Dr Gordon Sabutey, a member of the interview panel who outlined the processes for the selection of the awardees congratulated them for making the final list.
He encouraged them to justify their selection by maintaining or improving their academic records to make the investment being made in their education by MTN Foundation worthwhile.
Mr. Samuel Koranteng, a Board Member of MTN Foundation, said the company found the intervention fulfilling considering the impact it was making on the lives of beneficiaries.
‘We are always happy to see that our investments are indeed making a difference in the lives of beneficiaries. We continue to review the scholarship programme to reflect the Foundation’s strategic direction, and industry trends to make it more relevant,’ he added.
He said MTN firmly believed that it was in the company’s interest as a telecommunication industry player to invest for the future and the future was digital skills.
‘We will continue to commit funds to implement projects that will continuously brighten the lives of the beneficiaries,’ Mr Koranteng assured.
He reminded the awardees that the journey of learning was life-long and charged them to continue to pursue excellence not just for themselves but for the betterment of the world.
The Foundation, he reiterated, was committed to providing unwavering support throughout their educational journey and their chosen academic fields.

Source: Ghana News Agency

School for Life, a non-government organisation (NGO) has commemorated this year’s International Literacy Day with a reading competition for Complementary Basic Education (CBE) learners at Kpunduli in the Nanton District of the Northern Region.
The CBE learners at Kpunduli, Afayili, Nanton, Limanfon, Zieng, Digu and Gunu participated in the competition, which was to examine their ability to identify vowels, consonants and other basic reading skills in their mother-tongue.
Each community presented two contestants for the competition, and they all received school bags and other learning materials as their prizes for participating in the competition.
This year’s International Literacy Day celebration was on the theme: ‘Promoting Literacy for a World in Transition: Building the Foundation for Sustainable and Peaceful Societies.’
Madam Wedad Sayibu, Director of School for Life, whose speech was read on her behalf at the event, said the theme for the occasion underscored the significance of literacy to empower individuals and promote socio-economic development across the world.
School for Life, this year, began implementing the CBE (Alternative Learning Programme) in the district, enabling out-of-school children in the area to undergo classes to acquire basic literacy, and numeracy skills in their mother-tongues to enable them to enroll in the formal school system.
Madam Sayibu emphasised that ‘Literacy affords us the requisite skills to fully participate in our increasingly complex and interconnected world. It is the foundation upon which knowledge is built, ideas are shared, and opportunities are seized.’
She said literacy was not just a skill, but a right and pathway to a brighter future, adding that each one had a role to play in fostering a world where everyone could read, write and access the knowledge they needed to thrive.
She said despite the various interventions in promoting literacy, there were still millions of Ghanaians, especially in marginalised communities, who still did not have access to quality education and basic literacy skills.
She said the periodic National Early Grade Reading Assessment conducted by the National Education Assessment Unit increasingly showed that a good number of children in basic schools could not read and write.
Madam Sayibu attributed the situation to conflicts, poverty and gender inequality among others and called for more pragmatic measures to improve the literacy rate in the country.
Mr Mohammed Mumuni Adams, Nanton District Director of Education, expressed need for parents and guardians in the area to take advantage of the various interventions instituted by the government to enroll their children in school.
He said education was the weapon to addressing inequality, poverty, deprivation and hunger and expressed the need for parents to invest in the education of their children.
He advised children to eschew laziness and endeavour to work hard to achieve their goals and aspirations.
Mr Mahamadu Sayibu, Chief of Kpunduli community, who was represented at the event, commended School for Life for its interventions towards promoting education and literacy in the Nanton District, saying they had contributed significantly to reducing illiteracy, child marriage and teenage pregnancy in the area.

Source: Ghana News Agency