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UBA Foundation launches 8th edition of NEC

The UBA Foundation, a social responsibility arm of UBA Bank, has launched the 8th edition of its National Essay Competition (NEC) as part of efforts to support quality education delivery in the country.

 Started in 2014, the UBA Foundation NEC is meant to build the literary and intellectual capacity of students and help them win handsome prizes and scholarship.

This year’s UBA Foundation NEC is on the topic “The Ghana Education Service (GES) has appointed you as a consultant to review the double track system.  Submit your recommendations to the governing council of the GES.”

Deadline for the submission of this year’s essay competition is Tuesday, November 30, 2021.

Speaking at the launch, the Deputy Managing Director of UBA Ghana, Sylvia Inkoom, said the essay competition was to help build and improve the writing skills of students as well as improve quality education delivery in the country.

She said the programme formed part of the Corporate Social Responsibility of the UBA Foundation to promote access to quality to students in the country.

Ms Inkoom indicated that so far the UBA Foundation had provide 21 scholarships to students who participated in the programme to pursue tertiary education in and outside the country, saying “This has reduced the burden on parents of the beneficiary students in funding their education.”

The Deputy Managing Director indicated that the ultimate winner would take home a cash prize of $5000, the second $3000 and the third $2000.

She said the competition was free and opened to every SHS student in the country and urged all SHS students across the country to take part in the programme to win prizes and broaden their horizon.

Ms Inkoom entreated the GES to send memos across the country to inform heads of the various SHSs about the programme and also suggested the Ministry of Education should implement the suggestions the students would provide in their essays.

The Deputy Minister of Education, John Ntim Fordjour who launched the programme commended UBA Foundation for the initiative.

He said UBA was one of the corporate institutions which was spending so much on education in the country.

Mr Fordjour said the topic for this year’s essay competition was appropriate and was in line with the vision of government to provide access and quality education to all the children in the country.

He said the Free Senior High School has expanded access to SHS education to all who left Junior High School, saying the “ Free SHS has provided opportunity to about 400,000 JHS leavers who could not pursue SHS education due to financial challenges.”

He said the government was on course to end the double track system  through the construction of new SHS infrastructure  and completion of existing ones, stressing that “Between  three and five years the double track system will end.”

Mr Fordjour dismissed the assertion that the Free SHS policy had affected the quality of education in the country, saying majority of Ghanaian students were the best among the students who sat the 2020 West African Senior High Certificate Examination.

The Rector of BlueCrest College, Prof. Anand Agrawal, commended UBA Foundation for the programme and pledged his organisation’s commitment to support the exercise succeed.

The overall winner of the 2020 UBA Foundation NEC, Master Kwame Ahenkora Antwi, entreated all SHS students to take active part in the this year’s competition.

BY KINGSLEY ASARE

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