Third term scholarships released to norther schools

Page 31, June 13, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) has released GH¢3,019,006.00 for the payment of scholarships of second-cycle students of the three northern regions for the third term of the 2007/2008 academic year.
The payment of the scholarships for the students in the three northern regions has been a subject of controversy with heads of schools in the area refusing to re-open their school when the time was due.
Before the amount was released, a total of GH¢4,255,149.92, out of the GH¢7,344,413.92 to be paid for the academic year had already been provided.
Also released is GH¢500,000.00 for the payment of bursary grants for postgraduate students in the country’s universities.
A letter signed by the Administrator of the GETFund, Mr Fosuaba A. Mensah Banahene, to the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Professor Dominic Fobih, stated that “this extra payment will be enough to take care of the Northern Scholarship programme till December, 2008”.
Prof. Fobih told the Daily Graphic that with the payment of the final part of the scholarship for this academic year, no head of second-cycle schools in the three northern regions would have any excuse to close down his school.
The minister stated that heads of schools that remained closed after the payment of the scholarship would be viewed as a sabotage that would warrant severe punishment.