Accra, Ghana//-The first 100 beneficiaries of MTN Ghana Foundation BRIGHT Scholarship Reloaded today received their awards to fund their education at the public universities in the country.
The awardees today are the first batch of beneficiaries of the 300 scholarships promised. MTN Ghana Foundation would once more, award 100 students with the scholarship each year, Dr Gloria Asare, a board member of the MTN Ghana Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of MTN Ghana, said at the awards ceremony in Accra.
The scholarship package, according to her, would cover tuition, accommodation, a stipend of GHS 1,150 per semester and a laptop computer to facilitate learning.
The MTN Ghana Foundation Board as part of MTN Ghana’s 25th Anniversary celebration launched the MTN Ghana BRIGHT Scholarship reloaded in June 2022 to award a second batch of 300 Scholarships for another three years ending in 2024 to brilliant and needy students in public institutions.
The scholarship reloaded scheme follows the successes and the impact of the MTN Bright Scholarship scheme which was instituted to mark the 20th anniversary of MTN Ghana.
The second scholarship reloaded package will cover tuition, accommodation, a stipend of GHS 1,150 per semester and a laptop to facilitate learning.
Courses
“Following the approval by the board, MTN Bright Scholarship Reloaded was launched with its own dynamics (reloaded dynamics).
Considering the demand for scholars and professionals in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) field, the MTN Bright Scholarship Reloaded was launched to contribute to addressing the issue”.
While the reloaded scheme is open to all, special attention is being given to students pursuing STEM courses, data analytics, robotics, and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
Dr Asare was quick to add that the scholarship reloaded scheme would also cater for physically challenged persons interested in pursuing ICT and Computer Science courses.
Special package for students in new regions
Additionally, students who have schooled and lived in the newly created regions such as Bono East, Ahafo, Savannah, Northeast, Western North, and Oti regions would benefit from a special package, according to her.
“We hope this scholarship reloaded will help ease the financial burden faced by these students and their parents so they may have the peace of mind to complete their education without any major difficulties.
Today marks yet another milestone in MTN Ghana’s commitment as a business to be an enabler of both human and socio-economic progress and development”.
Dr Asare therefore encouraged the current beneficiaries that “the award of the scholarship by the business is in fact a vote of confidence in their abilities and vision, a statement that despite the seeming challenging situations we find ourselves, MTN has taken that step to support you for our collective progress”.
Beyond showing our confidence in the beneficiaries of the Bright Scholarships, MTN continues to keep faith with our homeland – Ghana and Africa as a whole, with a refreshed strategy, dubbed Ambition 2025 premised on leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress”.
To the beneficiaries
She charged to make the most out of the scholarship, as they may have heard, “you need to be the difference you want to see in the society”.
Indeed, you represent 1 in 10 people who put in an application for this. We received 3000 applications across the country. The judges have done a great job and a round of applause is deserved!”.
Enhancement of the first package
He explained that the second scheme is called Bright Scholarship reloaded because it is an enhancement of the first package of the MTN Bright Scholarship scheme that was launched in fulfilment of a commitment MTN made to Ghanaians during the commemoration of its 20th Anniversary in 2016.
The first package promised to award 300 scholarships over a three-year period to needy and brilliant students in public tertiary institutions.
By the year 2020, the final batch to complete the 300 scholarships was presented to beneficiaries for the 2020/2021 academic year.
Of the 300 BRIGHT scholars to date, over 119 beneficiaries have graduated. Out of this number, 82 graduated with first class degrees (70%) with 24 receiving special awards including valedictorians (20%), Dr Asare said.
Since its inception, the response to the scheme has been overwhelming. It has received between 12,000 to 15,000 applications.
Sadly, there are so many brilliant and needy students who are denied tertiary education each year only because they cannot afford it.
An opportunity for hope and prosperity was taken away from so many. For some 300 students, had it not been for the MTN Bright Scholarship scheme, they would also have been denied this opportunity.
In his welcome address, the MTN BRIGHT Scholarship Reloaded Lead, George Kyei Frimpong, said: “The beneficiaries have been selected from all public tertiary institutions representing all 16 regions of Ghana”.
He continued: “They have qualified for this award through their impressive academic track record and have shown eagerness to pursue higher levels education”.
Mr Frimpong emphasised: “In keeping with our mission to improve the quality of lives in the communities in which we operate, the MTN Ghana Foundation since its inception has committed itself to providing sustainable projects in health, education, and economic empowerment to improve livelihoods”.
Tonnes of gratitude
Beneficiaries of the scholarship reloaded programme thanked MTN Ghana for investing in their future and promised the board, management, and staff of the telecom company that they won’t disappoint them.
They said without the MTN’s reloaded scholarships most of them would have deferred their courses to next year. “This is because there are no other options”.
Process of selection of the 100 awardees
At the close of the deadline for submission of the applications, over 3,000 entries were received from all the 16 regions of the country.
Out of the total received, 300 were shortlisted and final 100 selected.
The shortlisted candidates were subsequently invited for online interviews. The interviews were conducted by an independent panel which comprised academia and accredited human resource personnel.
The panel, after interviewing and verifying information received selected 100 students were today awarded the MTN BRIGHT Scholarship Reloaded.
