By Yussif Ibrahim
Kumasi, Sept. 21, GNA – Twenty differently abled students are among this year’s recipients of the MTN Bright Scholarship Reloaded which is providing financial support for selected students pursuing programmes in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and humanities.
A total of 200 brilliant but needy students from public tertiary institutions received the scholarship which covers tuition, accommodation, stipend as well as the provision of a laptop for each awardee.
Out of over 1500 applications received, 400 were shortlisted for interview before settling on the final 200 based on regional balance, gender, and programmes.
Paulinus Nzo, a visually impaired awardee from Wesley College of Education, said the scholarship would address the perennial financial struggles as a student.
“As a visually impaired and an orphan, you can imagine what I have been through in this era where people care for only their biological offspring,” he told the media.
He said learning materials for the visually impaired were not only scarce, but also expensive and thanked MTN Foundation for coming through for him.
Mr. Robert Kuzoe, Senior Manager of MTN Foundation, at a ceremony in Kumasi to present the awards to 100 beneficiaries from the northern sector, said the company would continue to invest in education because it was of the firm believe that education could close the poverty gap.
“Acknowledging the crucial role education plays in development, MTN Bright Scholarship was instituted in 2018 to help ease the financial burden faced by continuing students in public tertiary institutions,” he explained.
He said the inclusion of differently abled students demonstrated their commitment to diversity which ensured that all student had equal opportunities to succeed.
“As we present these scholarships, we are not just assisting with financial support, we are investing in dreams, potentials and the promise of a better tomorrow,” Mr. Kuzoe noted.
Mr. Simon Amoh, Senior Manager, General Trade for Northern Business District, said the MTN Foundation since its inception had committed to providing sustainable projects in its focus areas of education, health, and economic empowerment in line with the company’s mission of improving the quality of lives in communities it operates.
He congratulated the awardees and charged them to justify the investment made in them by making their families and MTN proud in their pursuit of academic laurels.
GNA