The Ga-Dangme Youth Scholarship Fund has awarded scholarships to 115 brilliant, needy Ga-Dangme students to study in 23 tertiary institutions.
The initiative set up by the Richard Nii Armah Quaye (RNAQ) Foundation, in collaboration with the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, is aimed at preventing financial difficulties from forcing students to abandon their education.
The beneficiaries were selected from 1,689 applications received from students in 100 tertiary institutions across the country, including the University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the University of Cape Coast, Accra Technical University and Koforidua Technical University.
The scholarship scheme also seeks to promote access to tertiary education among Ga-Dangme youth who demonstrate academic excellence but lack the financial resources to sustain their studies.
Of the 115 beneficiaries selected for the first cohort, 64.3 per cent had attained first-class academic standing, while the remaining 35.7 per cent had second-class standing.
The beneficiaries are at various stages of their academic programmes, with some beginning their first year and others nearing graduation.
Support
At the presentation ceremony at the Ga Mantse’s Palace at Kaneshie last Monday, Mr Quaye urged the beneficiaries to take their studies seriously and demonstrate their appreciation through academic excellence.
“We are here to fulfil our promise by providing your school fees.
As we do our part, you must also fulfil yours by taking your studies seriously. Do not allow yourselves to be distracted by activities that will affect your academic performance,” he said.
Mr Quaye said the foundation would continue to monitor the academic performance of beneficiaries, warning that students who failed to maintain good grades risked losing their scholarships.
The Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru, commended the RNAQ Foundation and its partners for the initiative, describing the beneficiaries as part of a new generation expected to restore the academic and intellectual heritage of the Ga-Dangme people.
He said the selection of 115 students from more than 1,600 applicants demonstrated the competitive nature of the scholarship and urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the opportunity.
“You are not just receiving a scholarship. Every great building starts underground with stones nobody sees, and those stones carry everything above them. You, dear scholars, are those stones.
On you, we will build a new and beautiful Ga-Dangme state,” he said.
He urged the beneficiaries to uphold discipline, demonstrate academic excellence and support one another throughout their educational journeys.
He also encouraged them to return to their communities after graduation to mentor younger people and contribute to local development.
Gratitude
Some beneficiaries who spoke to the Daily Graphic expressed gratitude to the foundation, saying the support would ease the financial pressure on their families and enable them to concentrate on their studies.
