Kumasi, Oct. 12, GNA - Scholarships and bursaries offered to brilliant but needy pupils and students under the Otumfuo Education Fund is not restricted to the Ashanti Region alone but is open to all school children in the country.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, said Asanteman recognized the importance of education in the socio-economic development of the country and would continue to provide financial assistance and infrastructure. He said this on Monday when five of the 2010 national best teacher awardees from the region paid a courtesy call on him at the Manhyia Palace.

The award winners were Mr Kingsley Akom of Kumasi Technical Institute (KTI) who was adjudged the overall National Best Teacher and received GH¢60,000 to put up a house and Mr Samuel Addai of Suame Methodist Junior High School (JHS) who was the first runner-up and received a Nissan pick-up vehicle.

The rest were Mr Christopher Yawuliga of Nkawie Senior Technical School who was adjudged national best in the vocational /technical category and Mr Stephen Ankomah of Anglogold Ashanti JHS at Obuasi who came third in the JHS category.

Piase JHS was adjudged the national best HIV/AIDS alert school. Otumfuo Osei Tutu commended the award winners for bringing honour to the region and advised them to serve as role models to other teachers. Oheneba Kwame Kyeretwie, Apagyahene and Chairman of Board of Governors of both K.T.I. and Saint Louis Senior High schools, expressed Asanteman's appreciation and gratitude to the award winners for lifting the image of the region. Mr Joseph Kwabena Onyinah, Ashanti Regional Director of Education who led the award winners to the palace, thanked Asantehene for making education one of his priority programmes. 12 Oct 10