Alhaji Idris Launches Scholarship Scheme For Tamale Girls Secondary School

Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Northern Regional Minister last Wednesday launched the "Dakpema Scholarship Scheme" for brilliant but needy girls of Tamale Girls Secondary School. The scheme a personal initiative of Nana Fosuaba Mensah Banahene, Administrator of GETFund has seed money of 150 million cedis.

He appealed to chiefs to be in the forefront of the promotion of education in the region and called on authorities of educational institutions to ensure discipline in the schools and create a congenial atmosphere for their students to study. Alhaji Idris urged contractors in the region to contribute generously towards the scheme.

Nana Banahene explained that, he realised that as the only girls institution in the Northern Region, Tamale Girls Secondary School was beset with problems that the government alone could not shoulder. He therefore, mooted the idea of a scholarship scheme to assist the less privileged girls in the school.

Nana Banahene said the scheme was a significant social programme, which would improve the educational conditions of girls, adding that the government was determined to promote girls education in the country. The GETFund Administrator advised those who would manage the scheme to invest the funds into prudent ventures to yield good returns.

Nana Banahene commended Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II for pioneering the establishment of an educational endowment fund and urged chiefs in the north to emulate him by supporting and contributing generously to the Northern Education Trust Fund (NETFund). He said GETFund financed the construction of a three-storey classroom block, dinning hall complex and science laboratory for the school at its new site in addition to a bus last year.

Mr Mohammed Amin Adam, Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive, presented a cheque of 20 million cedis on behalf of the assembly towards the scheme.

Mrs Mercy Amanquandoh, Headmistress of the school appealed to stakeholders in education to assist the school to develop and be abreast with other older girls' schools in the country. She commended Nana Banahene for his foresight in establishing the scheme for the school.