Northern pupils benefit US President’s Ambassador Girls’ Scholarship Programme

Some 1,078 school children from both Primary and Junior High schools in Bongo, Bawku and Garu-Tempane in the Upper East and the West Mamprusi District in the Northern Region on Monday benefited from the Ambassador Girl-Child Scholarship Programme (AGSP).

The scholarship package, initiated by former US President George Bush, is implemented throughout Africa and is aimed at assisting needy girls in schools who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to continue with their education.

Each of the beneficiaries took home a maxi bag of corn and education materials including text and exercise books, school uniforms, pens, foot-wear, school bags and bicycle tyres.

The project is being implemented by Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) with support from the Ghana Education Service (GES) and beneficiaries would be given similar packages every academic year.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony in Bawku Mr. Jonathan Adabre, Upper East Regional Manager of ISODEC, said in northern Ghana many girls dropped out of school due to a number of factors including death of parents, pregnancy, extreme poverty and the desire to obtain bride price.
The beneficiaries were made up of 818 girls and 260 boys.
Mr. Abdulai Abanga, Bawku Municipal Chief Executive commended the donor and the implementers of the scholarship scheme and said it would complement government’s efforts in addressing the needs of the education sector.

Madam Florence Bobi, Bawku Municipal Director of Education, urged parents to contribute to the education of their children.

“Despite the introduction of the Capitation Grant, parents still have a duty to continue to contribute in cash and in kind to support the development and maintenance of their children in school”, she said.