By Patrick Ofoe Nudzi
Accra, Nov. 3, GNA – Education stakeholders have launched a school support programme to competitively mobilise the financial contributions of old students of all second cycle schools in Ghana towards the development of their former schools.
The initiative, called the Ghana Alma Mater Programme (GAMP), provides a seamless and convenient national platform that allows old students to contribute their widow’s mite anytime and at anywhere towards the growth of their former schools.
The programme was launched under the theme: “Advancing Stakeholders Participation in Ghana’s Educational System; The Role of Old Students”, and is being rolled out with the approval and support of GES, the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS-Ghana), Old Students Associations and other partners.
There are 719 second cycle schools with their interfaces and codes on the platform, which allow old students to contribute money for projects in their former schools and win awards. Payments are through www.gamp912.com, where the payer clicks the contribute button leading to select campaign.
In the select campaign space, the payer types the name of his or her former school and makes the contribution through a Mobile Money payment interface.
The platform has security features and there are checks and balances to ensure that no cedi is diverted, and the monies contributed serve intended purposes.
The Ghana Alma Mater Programme (GAMP) has an organisation structure with an advisory board as the highest decision-making body.
It has the Minister for Education as the National Patron, playing the role as advisor, promoter and supervisor-in-chief; a Programme Management Team made up of five members with some members representing the Director General of Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education.
Togbe Dzidoah I, Sub-Divisional Chief, Gbi Abansi, Hohoe and GAMP Lead, said, the Ghana Alma Mater Programme had been established to offer an authentic platform for old students to support their former schools without any stress and get rewarded.
The duration for the support challenge will be six weeks every programme year with the 2023 season being the maiden edition.
It will run up to the 14th of December 2023.
The Perogramme Lead said aside the contributions of old students for the uptake of projects in their former schools, GAMP also had a performance-based prize scheme with category prizes from the national to the regional levels for the old student groups and individuals.
He said contributions for each school would be seen in real time as they were made on the school specific interfaces throughout the contest with details of name, year of completion and the amounts contributed by every old student, who contributed to his or her school.
The amount contributed for each school will be credited into approved old students accounts after each season, for the uptake of projects by the Associations in their former schools.
The highest supported schools across the categories will be honoured as top performers each season in their categories at both regional and national levels; whereas the overall highest supported school across the categories and the highest individual contributor will be declared as the Alma Mater School of the Year and the Alma Mater Personality of the Year respectively every programme season.
Togbe Dzidoa said there would be an annual school-based GAMP expenditure accounts from the individual Associations, which would be submitted to the GAMP Secretariat through the schools to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of programme funds.
He said a GAMP Impact Documentary would be used to assess the impact of the Programme every season.
Mr Stephen Kwaku Owusu, Deputy Director in Charge of Management Services, Ghana Education Service, described the Programme as a novel initiative that would complement the efforts of the Government in addressing the numerous challenges facing SHS, adding that GAMP was “undoubtedly worth supporting”.
GNA