In its tenth year, the Lebanese Community Scholarship Programme has awarded scholarships to 12 brilliant law students at the faculty of law in the University of Ghana.
The short ceremony was held in the presence of the Provost of the College of Humanities, Professor Daniel Ofori, Lebanese Ambassador, Mr Maher Kheir, Dean of the Law Faculty, Professor Raymond Atuguba, Director of Public Affairs, and representatives from the Lebanese Community.
In his remarks, the Lebanese Ambassador, Mr Kheir stressed that Lebanon was a pioneer in legal education which was why the community was inspired to support law students at the faculty.
He stated “it is interesting to note that the world’s first university of Law was built in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut.”
Mr Kheir stressed that “societies thrive on the strength of law, hence the Lebanese Community attaches so much importance to it.”
He stated that Lebanese presence in Ghana for more than 100 years had made them consider themselves as Ghanaians of Lebanese background adding that “they have become partners for development.”
Law, he observed, was the foundation on which any society could grow.
“Law is the foundation of any human society. We cannot exist, grow or advance without it. Law is the heartbeat of human life, without it, will be a lawless society and chaos will rule,” he added.
He therefore, challenged the beneficiaries to uphold the tenets of the legal profession as they journey through their education saying “therefore, I urge you to uphold the law you practice.”
The Provost of the College of Humanities, Professor Daniel Ofori, noted that, the community’s commitment to the scheme for over 10 years was worth commending.
The Lebanese people in Ghana had really done a good job of sponsoring our students since 2013. “This feat is worth commending.”
Professor Raymond Atuguba, Dean of the law faculty thanked the sponsors for standing by the school and students each year towards academic success.
He however, urged the Lebanese community to increase number of students, the amount and the scope of the scholarship to benefit more students.
“Currently there are about two thousand and one hundred students at the faculty compared to the four hundred we had at the inception of the scholarship. So we are asking you to consider increasing the number, amount and scope to include other needy students as well,” he stated.
A beneficiary, Richard Adjei Kyeremanteng said the scholarship would ease the financial burden on their families and boost academic performance exponentially.
He expressed his appreciation to the donors and promised that the beneficiaries would study hard to justify the confidence reposed in them.
Mr Ashkar Naaman, a member of the Lebanese Community pledged the Community’s continued support.
From 2013, the Lebanese Community Scholarship has supported more than 400 students from GIJ, KNUST and the University of Ghana in their tertiary education.
BY TIMES REPORTER
