President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday promised that his administration would leave an educational legacy that would spur the future generations on to promote massive infrastructural development of the country.
The legacy, he said, would be pivoted around Information and Communication Technology, which is the modern driving force that could expedite the advancement and progress of the economy and other sectors of governance.
President Mahama gave the promise when he presented awards to 20 students, two each selected from the 10 regions of Ghana, who excelled in the 2012 Basic Education Certificate Examination as part of the 56th Independence Anniversary of Ghana.
The award scheme, which was instituted in 1994, has so far awarded 300 students from the 10 regions and buoyed up the enthusiasm of those students to aspire to become professionals serving in various capacities in the country and beyond.
This year’s recipients, who are already in various Senior High Schools (SHSs) across the country took home laptop computers, special plaques, books, certificates and scholarship package covering their lodging and boarding throughout their three-year stay in their Senior High Schools.
President Mahama said his administration would provide quality education by expanding structures in various institutions and by providing sufficient support to teachers to give up their best in their institutions.
He said government would also within the next four years establish 200 new community SHSs to ensure accessibility of secondary education to more students that would be moving from the basic level to that level.
The President said as part of government’s commitment to step up science education, his administration would continue to award scholarships to graduate students to pursue various courses in Science, Mathematics and technology.
He said: “Government has been able to award about 500,000 scholarships and will be ready to double the scheme to cover many more students in the coming years”. President Mahama challenged the award winners to study hard to enable them to pass their examinations and take up responsible positions in future, and to be role models.
Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang, Minister for Education, said the 20 students were selected based on their performance in last year’s BECE, exemplary lives, leadership qualities and availability of facilities or otherwise in their schools among other qualities.
She said beneficiaries of previous scholarships had distinguished themselves in various professional disciplines and were now contributing meaningfully to national development, and hoped their performance would encourage the youth to study harder in subsequent years.
Prof. Opoku Agyemang commended Nestle Ghana Limited, EPP Books, and other sponsors of the award for their massive contribution towards the scheme.