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What is the ABEIKU OKAI BECE/WASSCE SCHOLARSHIP FUND?

The Abeiku Okai BECE/WASSCE Scholarship Fund is intended to support brilliant but needy pupils and students to conveniently and successfully register for their final examinations without any financial difficulties.

MOTTO:

Better Light one Candle than Cause Darkness

OBJECTIVES OF THE FUND

1.      The fund is set to support at least not less than two pupils/students each year to register for the WASSCE/BECE;

2.      There are individuals and corporate organizations who would want to give support to education in the community. The fund shall, therefore, create the platform for them to do so conveniently;

3.      The fund shall also be a beacon of hope and encouragement for needy pupil and students to learn harder towards their final examinations. Of course, there are countless pupils/students who give up on learning when they can see no financial possibility of writing the final examination.

WHY ABEIKU OKAI?

·         ‘Abeiku Okai’ is not necessarily a reference to the personality of Mr. Abeiku Okai, who has set up the fund, but rather the African playwright, novelist and poet. The dream of Mr. Abeiku Okai is to become a great African writer and he wishes to ensure that part of the proceeds from his writings go to support the education of children in the Senya Beraku community. This fund is therefore a first step towards realizing that dream, though the vision is a distant into the future;

·         Looking back into his Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary Schools days when poverty posed threat towards his chances of writing the final examination, this effort is also to productively acknowledge his classmates who paid for his BECE and SSSCE Registration fees in 2001 and 2004 respectively. Notable among them are Gladys Nartey (Gbawe Methodist Junior Secondary School) and the entire students’ body of Akim State College, whose money was drained from the Students Representative Council (SRC) coffers, under the SRC leadership of Mr. Jonas Kodowu, for the purpose. The fund is therefore a giving ‘back to-the-society’ the help he obtained towards his education. Of course, he wishes to see that no child undergoes the depression he continually endured during those days.

·         Again, Abeiku Okai became an author when his house mates (Royal House) at Akim State College contributed tokens as loans to get his first novel, Back to School Days, to the press. Though he could never pay back the loan as the students were not interested in that, he sees this fund as a means of paying back that money – into the education of others.

·         ‘Abeiku Okai’, therefore, in this context, is a symbol of a struggling but determined child who would make fruitful use of every opportunity to climb the academic ladder and would be ready to also assist any other child ready to do so despite his or her poor background.

BENEFICIARIES

        I.            Except the applicant does not qualify for the fund, every pupil/student within the community is entitled to the fund without prejudice with respect to the school he or she attends, ownership of the school (i.e. private or public), hometown, asafo or political affiliation, colour, race, religion, etc. The potential beneficiary must be a pupil/student schooling within Senya Beraku and its catchment areas. (Nevertheless, with time, the fund shall cover the entire district and beyond.)

     II.            Beneficiaries are to give proof of financial need, good academic records, interest in schooling, discipline and dedication to their own future dreams;

   III.            Beneficiaries are not expected to make any contribution towards the funds while they are students but would be entitled to support the fund in the future, during their working days. This is to ensure that beneficiaries also get the platform to give back to society and thus sustain the fund for many others to benefit;

  IV.            At least a considerable percentage of beneficiaries shall be girls.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

CHAIRMAN:

ABEIKU OKAI

 The funds is governed by a nine member board of Trustees:

1.      The Tufuhene of Senya Beraku;

2.      The Head teacher of Senya Senior High School;

3.      The Head of Local Council of Churches;

4.      The Head of Private Schools in Senya Beraku.

5.      Local GNAT Chairman;

6.      One Representative from the community – (female, representing parents);

7.      The Senya Urban Council Chairman

8.      A honorary member, who is interested in supporting education in the community;

9.      Abeiku Okai (or his representative);

PARTNERS

Destiny Hope Foundation
Aseya Africa, USA  http://www.aseyaafrica.com/

THE ABEIKU OKAI BECE/WASSCE SCHOLARSHIP FUND SECRETARIAT.

The Secretariat implements all policies of the Board and is headed by a Fund Administrator, appointed by the Board of Trustees.

The Fund Administrator regularly reports directly to the Board of Trustees.

FUND MANAGEMENT

BANKERS

Union Rural Bank and Ghana Commercial Bank.

RAISING OF FUNDS

1.      Funds is primarily raised from the sale of every book written by Abeiku Okai. Five percent of the proceeds from his books go into the fund;

2.      Donations from the government, non-governmental organizations, benevolent individuals, Parent-Teachers Associations, corporate organizations, religious bodies, etc;

3.      Periodic programs and activities to raise funds to support the dream;

APPLYING FOR THE FUND

Any pupil or student applying for the fund shall do the following:

1.      Write an official letter applying for the support;

2.      Fill a form and submit it together with immediate two passport pictures, previous and recent result slip and a letter of recommendation from the head teacher of his or her school.

PAYMENT OF REGISTRATION FEE

·         At least, two of the signatories to the bank account endorse every form before payment is made;

·         The managers of the funds do the payment on behalf of the student/pupil and keep photocopies of the receipts;

·         No cash is given to a pupil/student or any parent to do the payment;

·         Parent or guardian fills a form of acknowledgement of receipt of the fund;

·         Pupil or student, who benefits from the fund and thus sits for the examination, presents to the fund administration a photocopy of their BECE/WASSCE Result Slip. And where necessary, the administration shall assist the pupil or student to enter the secondary or tertiary school.