By Fatima Adam
Connecting Kids Education Foundation (CKEF), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), which supports the less privileged, brilliant but needy students to enable them access better education, especially in the rural areas, has awarded scholarship to support a second cycle student to pursue tertiary education.
The beneficiary, John Arthur, who is a student of Kissi Beseasa School in the Komenda, Edina Eduafo Municipality, in the Central Region, The Chronicle learnt, has been supporting his education alone, since the basic level.
According to the boy, who lost his father at the age of three, and was brought back to Ghana by his mother from Ivory Coast, “I weed for the community to support myself in school”.
He explained that his 77 year old grandmother, whom he had been living with, could not afford to take care of him, as she is a peasant farmer. “My grandmother cannot afford to pay my weekly classes’ fee of GH¢1.50 so I skip classes for some days to weed, to enable me pay the fee and other expenses”, he said.
John Arthur, in the company of his grandmother, both expressed their gratitude to CKEF and assured that the gesture would be properly utilized for its intended purpose.
“I want to become a teacher and I know I will grow to achieve this dream, especially with this support CKEF, has given to me. Thank you, thank you and I will learn very hard”, John Arthur said.
The Director of CKEF, Mrs. Ellen Blamires said the gesture was their contribution to support brilliant but needy students to access quality education and to eliminate the high illiteracy at the rural communities.
She explained that, even though this is the first time her outfit was offering a scholarship since their instigation in Ghana in the last two years, the case of John Arhtur “deserves an immediate attention”.
She was quick to add that the aforementioned initiative was the beginning of many more of what her outfit would focus on in the nearest future. She thanked their sponsors and called on other corporate bodies both national and international, to support them in increasing quality literacy level in all rural communities in Ghana.
The Ghana Education Service Director, in charge of the KEEA Municipality, Mr. Gabriel K. Gademor, on his part thanked CKEF for their support to improve quality of education in the area.
According to him, the community could only become a shining star if the children, whom he referred to as “the future of the locality,” could get access to proper education.
“Almighty God will reward you on behalf of these boys and girls. It is my hope that the outcome of this contract will bring the children out of the level that they found themselves. I will urge teachers to work harder than they are already doing, the school is a role model now in this area and teachers must work hard to ensure the children get the best”, he said.
Mr. Gabriel K. Gademor promised to give proper supervision to ensure the gestures are properly utilized.
CKEF also used the opportunity to present awards to winners of the Essay Writing Competition held on March 6, 2014, to commemorate the 57th anniversary celebration of Ghana’s independence.
The beneficiaries are a class six pupil, Augustina Asmah and Evans Dadzie, a Junior High School final year student, all of Kissi Beseasa School, who were presented with a certificate and school materials.
The materials, as The Chronicle learnt, was donated by EPP books and Zenith College, included story books, dictionaries, packs of pen and pencils and encyclopedia, just to mention a few.
In a related development, CKEF, in what they referred to as bringing technology to the rural communities, has installed a DSTV, loaded with educational channels for the library at Kisse Besease School.
The installation of the DSTV satellite dish, with a 32″ inch LED television, was to complement the library’s resourcefulness, which was constructed by CKEF in 2013.