Oguaa chiefs, GES set up endowment fund …GH¢60,000 already spent on students sponsorship

From David Allan Paintsil, Cape Coast

After years of struggling to establish an education endowment fund to assist brilliant but needy students, the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly, together with Metro Education Office, Oguaa Traditional Council and Office of the Member of Parliament as well as key actors in education have finally set up the Cape Coast Education Endowment Fund, which is expected to be launched on 13 October, 2012, at Centre for National Culture.

Speaking at a special press briefing on Saturday, Chairperson of the Fund, Mrs. Georgina Kwesi, who is also the Director of Science Education at Ghana Education Service, said the idea of setting up an education endowment fund was mooted in 2005/2006 academic year, in which Oguaaman Union received a tall list of pupils seeking assistance to continue their education at various second cycle schools.

She went on to say that Oguaaman Union did its part but could not met the high demand, adding that in 2009 when Mr. Ebo Barton Odro was elected, the Union called him and the Cape Coast Mayor, Anthony Egyir Aikins to a meeting in Accra and asked  their plans for Cape Coast.

Mrs. Kwesi said the two assured the Union that their passion to improve upon education standards in the area, adding that through their collaboration with other stakeholders in education, the setting up of non-partisan education fund has become a reality after several attempts.

She disclosed that since the fund became operational in 2009, with support from the Member of Parliament’s Common Fund and from other individuals, 502 students have benefitted from it with a total amount of Gh¢60,000.00 spent on sponsorship package.

She added that the main aim of the fund was to address the problem of mediocrity among school children and also provide assistance to people in lower income bracket, especially those in fishing and farming communities to educate their children.

According her, the education fund is also expected to give opportunity to more indigenes to gain admission to the model schools in the former colonial capital, so as to brighten the future generations.

Again, she said part of the fund would be used to rehabilitate some old public schools in the metropolis.

She, therefore, made a passionate appeal to individuals, corporate bodies, organisations and philanthropists to contribute in cash or in kind to help sustain the fund because education is the key to development and poverty alleviation.

Mrs. Kwesi, who is a former science tutor at Adisadel College, announced that an Education Fair would be held at Adisadel College Park by all second cycle schools in the Metropolis to showcase their potentials to parents, pupils and other stakeholders and to create public awareness in courses offered by each school, so that pupils could make an informed choice in their selection of Senior High School.

This, she said, was been done in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and it would held on 31 October 2012.

In his short contribution to the press briefing MP for Cape Coast, Barton Odro revealed that part of the fund would be invested into income generation activities  in order to make  it very vibrant all time.

On the Education Fair, he said it was a laudable idea because it would expose the children to various courses offered in various schools and also erase the fear among the indigenes about selection of top schools as their first choice.

The Executive Secretary of the Fund, Mr. Suleiman Moda explained that the fund would only take care of residents in the Metropolis and commended the non-partisan nature of setting up the fund.

He also praised Ebo Barton Odro for mobilising key actors in education in the area to improve education standards in Cape Coast which is cradle of Ghana’s formal education.

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