Asene Akroso Manso launches endowment fund to support tertiary, vocational and technical education

Member of Parliament for the Asene Akroso Manso constituency in the Eastern region has launched an educational endowment fund to support needy but brilliant students of tertiary and vocational training in the area.

In an address at the fundraising rally, a Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, commended the community for their foresight and vision to facilitate the development of the youth.

He urged the people to maintain their cooperative spirit with the MP for the area, George Kwame Aboagye, to initiate more programmes to enhance the development of the constituency.

Dr. Osei Adutwum stressed the need for the youth in the area to take their education seriously so that they could become beneficiaries of the incentive package.

George Kwame Aboagye, in a remark, recounted how pressure from his constituency mounted on him at a point to spend half of his share of the District Assemblies Common Fund to pay for fees and other vocational request at the expense of undertaking development projects.

He indicated that, the fund which has been created at the time that Senior High School education has been made free under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo would open door to a number of graduates from the second cycle institutions to access tertiary education with their little effort to meet the requirement.

He cautioned the fund managers to manage the fund judiciously to ensure only brilliant but needy students benefit from it.

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Alex Nkoom, encouraged students in the area to commit more efforts in their studies adding that, that is the surest way to improve their living standard in the near future.

The Board Chairman the endowment fund, Ben Ahmed Tawiah, pledged the commitment of members to ensure the sustainability of the fund so that a number of youth could be encouraged to further their education.

He advised students in the area to eschew acts of violence and study hard to compete with their colleague in the urban cities.

He further called on non-resident citizens to visit home to contribute their quota to the educational fund.

Mr. Ahmed Tawiah, suggested and appealed to organizations within the catchment area of the district to consider setting aside a fraction of their profits or dividend to support the fund.

On his part, the chief of Akroso, Nana Osei Asibe Darkwa II, pledged to do all he could to ensure that the fund stay for more students to benefit from it.

In all, a total amount of Ghc 76,000 was raised at the fundraising rally as a seed money to support the initiative.