Hess Ghana Exploration Limited and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) have launched their fifth annual scholarship awards at Nsein, near Axim, in the Western Region.
Making the announcement at the Nsein Secondary School, Mr Frank McKay, General Manager, Hess Ghana Exploration Ltd., confirmed that 125 new scholars had been selected for the 2016/2017 academic year.
The students will begin their studies in six partner institutions and will enter senior high school in late October 2016. The “Hess-GNPC Scholars Programme” was established to support academically qualified but underprivileged students.
The students added this year bring the total number of scholarship beneficiaries under the Hess-GNPC Scholars Programme to 521. Mr McKay emphasised that the excellent performance of previous scholars motivated the partners to maintain this year’s intake: “The size of the first year’s beneficiaries, 71, was based on the need to develop the programme efficiently and measure success. Now that it has been tested with excellent results, we are pleased to expand the recipient districts to create room for other prospective students.
“We hope the achievement of the first and second group of Hess-GNPC Scholars, in their final senior high school exams, will motivate the new students to also excel in academics.”
Commending the scholarship beneficiaries on their selection, Mr Alexander Mould, Acting Chief Executive of GNPC, said: “We expect that you approach your studies with seriousness to justify this award to enable you climb further up the educational ladder, with the support of your parents and your community”.
He added: “GNPC views the education of our people as a priority, hence our investments which include the construction of basic school infrastructure fully equipped with ICT labs to improve teaching and learning in our communities.
“We believe that our country’s greatest resource is its people and thus set up the GNPC Oil and Gas Learning Foundation in 2012 to provide institutional focus to oil and gas-related subjects at the postgraduate level. So far, our Learning Foundation has sponsored 184 postgraduate students to various universities across the world.”
The Hess-GNPC Scholars Programme was developed in response to a study of the health and educational needs in Ghana, and in the coastal districts of the Western Region in particular. The study identified potential areas where the companies could make a measurable and sustainable difference in education. The scholarship initially targeted students in three districts – Nzema East, Jomoro and Ellembelle – with an emphasis on girls’ education. Since then it has been expanded to six coastal districts. It covers the entire government-approved school costs (boarding fees, administrative fees, books, kits, uniforms) as well as other necessary expenses (trunk, chop box, mattress, pocket money, etc.) for three years of senior high school, vocational training or health training (nursing), depending on the student’s preference.
This year’s launch extends the scholarship programme to include students from the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan area. Scholars are selected through an application and interview process supported by the District Education Directorate (DED). Criteria for selection are based on BECE scores, a personal statement from prospective scholars, chosen programme, gender, and family situation. Shortlisted candidates are interviewed individually by a panel comprised of representatives from the traditional council, fishermen associations, district education directorate, district assembly, district parent-teacher association, Hess Ghana, and GNPC.
Frank McKay added that in addition to paying the school fees, the scholars are also provided with counselling and mentoring on a regular basis to support their academic efforts. He appealed to parents and the community at large to provide support to these hard working young students who will become our future leaders.
Source: GNPC
