Manso-Nkwanta (Ash), Feb.18, GNA - The United Nations Millennium Village Project located at Bonsaaso in the Amansie West District of Ashanti has awarded scholarships to 30 needy basic school pupils in the district at a ceremony at Manso-Nkwanta.

The scholarships cover boarding and lodging fees and other academic expenses the beneficiaries may have to grapple with as they further their education at the senior high school level.

The beneficiary pupils who were also presented with exercise books and school bags consisted of 18 boys and 12 girls were drawn from some of the most deprived communities in the district.

Making the presentation, Mr. Peter Afoakwa, the Education Co-ordinator of the Project, expressed dissatisfaction that only about 10 per cent of basic school pupils in the district were able to continue their education to the second-cycle level due to financial constraints on the part of their parents.

The project, he said therefore, aimed, among others, to support such pupils in their education to ensure that they led meaningful lives in future. Mr Ben Kwakye Adeefe, the District Chief Executive, who received the scholarships on behalf of the beneficiary pupils, commended the project for the support and urged the pupils to be serious with their studies.