By Stanley Senya
Accra, Oct. 23, GNA – MTN Ghana has awarded 500 scholarships to tertiary students and teachers pursuing science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and technical programmes to improve access to education and strengthen skills development.
The scholarships, under the MTN Bright Scholarship programme, comprise 300 awards for students in public tertiary institutions and 200 for teachers seeking to upgrade their professional knowledge and competencies.
Each scholarship covers tuition and accommodation and provides a laptop and a stipend to support beneficiaries throughout their studies.
Mr Stephen Blewett, Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, announced this at the 2026 MTN Bright Scholarship Awards ceremony in Accra, as part of activities marking the company’s 30th anniversary.
He said the initiative was aimed at removing financial barriers that prevented talented students from pursuing their educational ambitions and contributing to national development.
He urged the beneficiaries to remain focused on their studies, seek guidance when necessary and apply their knowledge to solving problems in their communities.
“Your financial circumstances need not set limits on your ambition,” he said.
Mr Blewett encouraged students to use technology, including artificial intelligence, responsibly to support their learning and improve their problem-solving abilities.
He cautioned them against relying on artificial intelligence to complete their assignments, saying that could undermine their learning and critical-thinking skills.
He said the country’s digital future required people who could develop solutions and create opportunities rather than merely consume technology.
Mr Blewett also announced that MTN Ghana would support the establishment and publicity of a dedicated hotline being developed by the Ministry of Education to enable students, parents and other stakeholders to report abuse in schools.
He said the company had agreed to support the initiative following discussions with Dr Clement Abas Apaak, Deputy Minister of Education.
He said MTN Ghana would help publicise the hotline to ensure that students and parents could easily access it to report concerns requiring the Ministry’s intervention.
Dr Apaak said the hotline would provide an alternative channel for reporting abuse, particularly in cases where complaints submitted through existing educational structures had not received the necessary attention.
He said the Ministry had identified weaknesses in the processes for escalating reports of abuse, which could prevent cases from reaching the appropriate authorities.
He cited allegations of sexual abuse involving a headmaster at WASSCE Secondary Technical School, saying the Minister of Education had directed that the headmaster be interdicted, and the matter referred to the police for investigation.
He said some education officials had also been asked to step aside to allow administrative investigations into possible failures in the reporting process.
Dr Apaak said the hotline would enable students, parents and other stakeholders to contact the Minister or Deputy Minister directly when existing reporting channels failed to produce the necessary action.
He said the government remained committed to protecting learners and improving access to quality and equitable education.
He commended MTN Ghana for supporting educational development through scholarships and other interventions.
Mrs Georgina Asare Fiagbenu, Acting General Manager for Sustainability and Shared Value at MTN Ghana, said the scholarship programme formed part of the company’s corporate social responsibility focus on health, education and economic empowerment.
She said the programme was inherited from Scancom’s earlier operations and rebranded as the MTN Bright Scholarship programme in 2017.
She said the scholarships targeted students in public tertiary institutions, as well as teachers seeking further training to improve their capacity to support learners.
Mrs Fiagbenu said beneficiaries were required to maintain satisfactory academic performance to continue receiving support throughout their studies.
She urged the public to help raise awareness about the programme to enable more eligible students to benefit.
Mr Blewett said the programme had supported 1,220 students since its introduction in 2018, producing 17 valedictorians and 299 first-class graduates.
He said 47 beneficiaries had graduated with second-class upper honours, while 16 had obtained second-class lower honours.
He said the programme continued to demonstrate how financial assistance could help talented students overcome economic challenges and realise their academic potential.
As an example, he cited Thompson Kawoktu Kombat, who spent a year at home after completing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination because his family could not afford university admission fees.
With support from the MTN Ghana Foundation, Mr Kombat enrolled at the University for Development Studies, where he graduated with distinction.
He received awards as the overall best male graduating student, the best student at the School of Pharmacy and the best student in pharmacology and herbal medicine.
Mr Blewett said the experience demonstrated the importance of providing financial support to students whose academic potential might otherwise be constrained by their circumstances.
He said 5,194 applications were received for the latest scholarships, with 1,200 applicants interviewed before 500 were selected.
Fourteen of the beneficiaries were persons with disabilities.
He urged the beneficiaries to work hard, maintain high academic standards and use their education to contribute to national development.
GNA
Edited by Linda Asante Agyei