* to support brilliant but needy students in Ada*

By: Dennis Narterh Adzigodi, Ada.

An educational endowment fund to support the brilliant but needy pupils in the Dangme East District was launched last Friday at Kasseh in Ada. Launching the Fund dubbed Ada Traditional Area Educational Fund (ATAEF), Professor Nene Akpanglo Abbanam (II), Divisional Chief of Ada Kabiewe Clan and the Proprietor of Asidahey International School, said it has become necessary that the fund is established at this time to help assist and raise the standard of education in the district.

He said it is observed that many young people in the district are very brilliant but most of them always end up being school drop outs or end their educational career just after the Junior High School simply because their parents lack funds to help them continue with their education. He stressed that this is the reason why the District Assembly, Ghana Education Service and the Ada Traditional Council have come together to launch this special endowment fund to help alleviate the number of school dropouts in the district.

Nene Abbanam further revealed that the fund was established and launched three years ago during the Asafotufiam festival but lack of funds and support have put the fund on hold and has now called on all the natives of Ada both at home and in the Diaspora to make meaningful contributions towards the fund to help sustain it.

He has earmarked one million Ghana Cedis as seed money to be generated into the fund within three months to help sustain the fund.

He further reiterated that the fund will cover all the natives of Ada and others whose parents have served in the district for five years and over. The fund, he said, will cater for students from the Junior High School, Senior High School up to the Tertiary Educational level.

He asked the Ghana Education Service to intensify and enforce discipline among teachers who are teaching in Government schools as it has become a major factor of poor performance not only in Ada but Ghana as a whole due to the poor level of discipline always attached to the job by public institutions’ teachers and lectures.

Member of Parliament for Ada Constituency, Hon. Alex Tettey-Enyo, in a speech called on all landlords to reduce rent for teachers serving in the district so as to entice them to give their all out and serve in the district for a very long time. The MP has therefore called on each and every one in the district to help support the fund to help project the level of education in Ada.

The MP also challenged and urged the students in the district to take advantage of the endowment fund to study hard so they can also benefit from the scheme.

Other dignitaries present at the launch include the District Chief Executive for Ada Hon. Rex Daniel Wussah, Deputy Greater Regional Director of Education Madam Florence Asi Damele and Nene Keke Zomabli, a divisional chief.