Winners of President’s Independence Day Awards increased
The number of students who benefit annually from the President’s Independence Day Award in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) has been increased from 20 to 30.
The awards, which began in 1993 with 10 students, one from each region, was later increased to two students from each region (a boy and a girl) making a total of 20 in 2000.
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During this year’s awards ceremony held at the Accra International Conference Centre on Independence Day, 30 students who excelled in the 2017 BECE were honoured. They included students with special needs who excelled in the examination.
The award ceremony was designed to provide scholarships to deserving BECE graduates.
The prizes for each of the award winners, who are currently in senior high schools (SHSs), included a gold medal, a samsung tablet, a certificate signed by the President, products from Nestle Ghana Limited for one year, books from EPP Books Limited and a cash prize of GHC1000.
In their message to Ghanaians, the award winners commended the President for the fulfilment and implementation of the Free Senior High School Programme as well as the restoration of the teachers and nurses training allowances.
They said the implementation of the Free Senior High School Programme had given opportunity to many students to enrol in second cycle schools.
“This has brought relief to our parents,” the children said.
In his address, President Nana Akufo-Addo applauded the award winners for their achievement, saying, ‘out of thousands of students who sat for the examination, you were chosen as the winners as a result of your performance in the BECE and that it is appropriate for the nation to recognise your performance.’
He told the students that their performance did not only make their schools and families proud, but the entire nation, “because you truly deserve it’’.