Yilo Krobo MP increases education support to 550 students, targets 2,000 next year

The Member of Parliament for Yilo Krobo in the Eastern Region, Dr Albert Tetteh Nyakotey, has increased his annual educational support programme from 250 students in 2025 to 550 beneficiaries this year.

The MP said an additional 50 students would also be supported after some applicants who were not initially captured showed up with the necessary documentation to benefit from the initiative.

The beneficiaries, selected from communities and schools across the Yilo Krobo Municipality, are receiving educational materials including trunks, mattresses, exercise books, mathematical sets, and other forms of support to enable them to continue their education at the second-cycle level.

The event, held at the Akutunya Park in Somanya on Wednesday, July 16, was attended by students, teachers, traditional leaders, education officials, members of the general public and other stakeholders.

Speaking at the presentation of educational materials to selected 2026 BECE candidates, Dr Nyakotey said the initiative was introduced after he received repeated requests from parents for assistance whenever their children were preparing to enter secondary school.

He said he decided in 2025 to consolidate the requests and work with education authorities and communities to identify students who required support.

“We were only able to do 250 last year. Today, thanks be to God, we are doing 550 immediately, and we are planning to have 50 extra for those who walk in and say they have not received it,” he said.

The MP said education remained one of the most effective ways of empowering young people, stressing that knowledge could provide beneficiaries with opportunities to transform their lives.

“We know how important education is. I remember several years ago when I was going to secondary school and I had my own challenges. It has paid off. Today, I am proud to have been able to do something with it,” he said.



According to him, his objective was not simply to provide financial assistance but to equip young people with the education and skills needed to become self-reliant.

“The best way to support them is not to give them money but to give them knowledge. Once they have the knowledge, they have the wisdom, they can become anything they want to become,” he said.

Selection of beneficiaries

Dr Nyakotey explained that the beneficiaries were identified through a process involving the Ghana Education Service, schools and community representatives.

He said the Municipal Education Directorate was first asked to identify some of the best-performing students from basic schools, while communities were also given the opportunity to nominate students who had gained admission to boarding schools but needed assistance.

He said the community-based approach was adopted because academic performance alone might not adequately reflect a student's financial circumstances.

“We give the rest to the communities to also select. Somebody can be the best and maybe have the capacity to pay. So we went to the community and said, Assemblyman, Dadematse and the rest, look within the community and find children who have passed, have been given boarding house and they are going to school, for us to support them,” he said.

The MP said the programme had been expanded this year to reduce the number of students who might be left out due to limited resources.

He said the initial target was to support selected students, but he subsequently decided to broaden the programme so that more needy students could benefit.

Plans to expand programme

Dr Nyakotey said the educational support had now become an annual initiative and expressed his intention to increase the number of beneficiaries to 2,000 next year, subject to his ability to mobilise the required resources.

“This one, as I said, has become a tradition. So every year, when I have the capacity, and I'm sure by the grace of God I have the capacity, I'll be expanding my target to 2,000 next year,” he said.

He also disclosed that his support for education extended beyond BECE graduates, citing assistance to students at the secondary and tertiary levels.

He said he was currently supporting 10 master's students in Europe by paying their school fees and had also assisted students in senior high schools and teacher training institutions.

The MP said his broader objective was to help young people acquire qualifications that could eventually lead to employment and greater opportunities.

He urged the beneficiaries to take advantage of the support and remain focused on their studies.

“We can give you mattresses and give you other items and pay the school fees for you. But for you as a kid, yours is to study and make use of the support we are giving you to achieve your dreams,” he said.

Education Directorate welcomes initiative

The Yilo Krobo Municipal Director of Education, in a welcome address, expressed gratitude to Dr Nyakotey for supporting selected 2026 BECE candidates from schools within the municipality.

John Kwame Gasu described the completion of the BECE as an important milestone but stressed that it marked the beginning of another stage in the students' educational journey.

The director urged the beneficiaries to remain focused, disciplined and determined, take their studies seriously, respect their teachers and make choices that would positively shape their future.

Parents and guardians were also encouraged to continue providing the necessary support and guidance as their children transition to second-cycle education.

The presentation formed part of efforts to support students as they prepare to begin their senior high school education.