Atebubu (B/A) Sept. 11, GNA - The Atebubu/Amantin District Assembly in the Brong-Ahafo Region has committed 30,000 Ghana Cedis of its share of the District Assemblies' Common Fund to institute education endowment fund to support needy and brilliant students in the district. Mr. Sanja Nanja District Chief Executive (DCE) who spoke to the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday after the official launch of the programme said the assembly would annually channel two per cent of the common fund towards the sustenance of the scholarship scheme. He explained that the rationale behind the fund was to encourage and motivate parents to support their children's education to the tertiary level.

The DCE expressed regret about the abysmal performance of students in the district and the alarming rate of school drop-outs, which he attributed to parental neglect as a result of poverty. He said the assembly had set up a committee made up of representatives of the District Directorate of Education, the traditional councils, farmers unions, Muslim community leaders and student unions to oversee the management of the fund. Mr. Nanja said the district assembly would impress upon contractors to contribute 0.5 per cent of their contract sum to support the fund. He implored religious institutions in the district to organise regular fund raising rallies to support the fund. Mr. Nanja appealed to the Atebubu/Amantin traditional councils to promote the sustainability of the fund.

Madam Vida Boatemaa Aning, Chairperson of the Assembly's Social Services sub-committee said 10,000 Ghana Cedis had been lodged into an account to start the fund She asked citizens in the area to contribute their quota to support the fund.