The MTN Ghana Foundation has awarded 20 teachers with scholarship under its “MTN Teachers’ Improvement Awards Programme”, to pursue undergraduate and graduate degree programmes at the University of Cape Coast or the University of Education, Winneba.
The Second edition of the award worth GH¢125,000.00, is for the teachers to professionally improve themselves in Science, Mathematics and English Education.
Out of the 20 selected teachers, seven would pursue courses in Mathematics, seven in English and six in Science programmes.
Mrs Cynthia Lumor, the Corporate Service Executive, MTN Ghana, speaking at the awards presentation, said the programme was designed to assist teachers, who were teaching in the first and second cycle public institutions to upgrade their education.
She said the aim was to improve their knowledge in selected subjects because they continued to be core tools in many fields of study.
She said the Foundation considered the investment very important because the contribution that a good teacher makes in the lives of students could not be quantified.
The Corporate Services Executive said this year, the Foundation was supporting 10 women and 10 men as against 15 men and five women last year.
She said this year, the Foundation received 311 entries from the 10 regions, which was a huge increase compared to the 30 entries received last year.
She expressed the hope that the beneficiaries would be better equipped to transform positively teaching and learning in the classroom.
“This will ultimately build the capacity of the students for their personal and national development,” she added.
Mrs Lumor encouraged female teachers to take advantage of the programme to improve their capacity, since their statistics indicated very low female participation.
In 2015, out of the 30 applications received, eight were females and 22 males, while in 2016, 32 women applied as against 279 males.
She said in line with the commitment to support development through education, MTN over the years had provided scholarship to more than 1,000 students and also built 75 classroom blocks, dormitories and other infrastructure for children in dilapidated school structures in remote communities.
Since its inception, the Foundation has invested GH¢ 22.2 million in 135 Education, Health and Economic Empowerment projects, which has brightened the lives of more than three million people across the country.
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Source: GNA