Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickon, Vice-Chancellor, KNUST
Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickon, Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has advised beneficiaries of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme (MCFSP) to put a premium on community service.
They should engage more in outreach programmes to transform the lives of those living in deprived and underprivileged communities, she stated.
She also tasked the Scholars to mentor the youth in these communities to embrace formal education and set for themselves higher goals in life for successful career development.
Prof. (Mrs.) Akosua Dickson was speaking at the inauguration of a renovated six-unit classroom block for the Salvation Army Primary ‘B’ School at Agona-Wiamoase in the Sekyere-South District of the Ashanti Region.
The facility was renovated and furnished with 100 dual desks at US$25, 000.00 by the 2020/2021 Scholars’ Community of the MCFSP at KNUST.
The programme formed part of the Scholars’ International Day of Service that offers Scholars around the globe the opportunity to take time off their academic endeavours to give back to their communities.
This year’s event is the Seventh International Day of Service to be marked by the Scholars of the MCFSP at KNUST.
Previous celebrations had seen the Scholars donate to the Kumasi Children’s Home, clean-up exercises at Sabin-Akrofrom, the inauguration of a mechanized borehole at Asakraka and donation of hospital equipment, including a delivery bed and patient’s monitor, hospital ward screens and wheelchairs.
They have, in addition, engaged in blood donation exercises to support the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) and offered practical skills development training to enable students to acquire skills in liquid soap and tie and dye-making.
Prof. (Mrs.) Akosua Dickson commended the Scholars for their humanitarian services and encouraged them not to relent in reaching out to society.
The University, she said, was proud of the gains made by the MCFSP over the years, urging the beneficiaries to strive for excellence in their academic endeavours and career development.
Prof. Kofi Owusu-Daaku, Lead for the MCFSP at KNUST, said the Programme targeted brilliant-but-needy students, the disabled and displaced youth with good academic records.
Master Ding-Ding William Chol, President of the Scholars’ Community at KNUST, said education was an indispensable tool to unlock the potentials of the youth.
Therefore, the Community would continue to emphasize its relevance in their outreach programmes for the benefit of the youth.
Ms Catherine Reckling, Sekyere-South District Chief Executive (DCE), described the school project as timely as it would create the needed serene environment to underpin quality educational delivery.