Odeneho Akrofa Krukoko III, Paramount Chief of the Wassa Fiase Traditional Area, has announced a scholarship package valued £108,000, equivalent to GH¢ 1.70 million, to support young people who wish to pursue higher education.
This announcement was made during the commissioning of the rehabilitated Infirmary and Nurses’ Quarters, executed by the Tarkwa Senior High School Past Students Association (TARPSA) Class of 1986 as their flagship legacy project to mark their 40th Anniversary.
According to him, education is the most powerful weapon the youth of Wassa Fiase can use to change their future. He noted that in a community surrounded by gold, the true gold is not what is in the ground, but what is in the brain.
He said without education, the youth will only be laborers for others, but with education, they can become engineers, geologists, doctors, teachers and mine managers. Education, he stressed, moves you from the pit to the office.
He added that an educated youth makes better life choices, as education delays early marriage, reduces teenage pregnancy, drug abuse and youth idleness which are common in mining communities like Wassa Fiase.
“Wassa Fiase cannot develop if its youth are not educated. We need educated youth to become Assembly Members, Chiefs, Nurses, Teachers and leaders who will bring real development, not just destruction of our land and water bodies,” he said.
“My message to the youth of Wassa Fiase is simple: Your books before your shovels. Let us mine our brains before we mine our land. If we fail to educate our youth today, Wassa Fiase will have no future leaders tomorrow.”
Odeneho explained that “Our land is rich in natural resources, but the lasting prosperity of our people will depend greatly on the knowledge, skills and character of our children. We must help them become the professionals, entrepreneurs, educators and leaders who can address the needs of our communities.”
He added, “It is therefore with great pleasure that I announce a scholarship package with a total value of £108,000 in a partnership between the Paramount Stool and York St. John University in the UK, through the Empire African Institute, to support a number of Wassa students to pursue studies in the United Kingdom in September 2027.”
“This scholarship represents an investment in the promise of our young people and in the future of Wassa. My hope is that the beneficiaries will pursue their studies with discipline, integrity and determination. I urge them to use the knowledge and experience they gain to contribute to the progress of Wassa and Ghana.”
“To our young people, I say: wherever your education takes you, remember the communities that nurtured you. Stay connected to their needs. Let your achievements create opportunities for others.”
Odeneho also advised students of TARSCO, saying the Class of 1986 offers an example worth following.
“The friendships you build today may become a source of strength for decades. The habits you develop here will influence the people you become. Respect your teachers, take your studies seriously and care for one another. In time, you too will have the opportunity to return and help this school prepare another generation.”
“Distinguished members of the Class of 1986, congratulations on this important anniversary. May your friendships grow stronger, may your service continue, and may your legacy be carried forward by the lives you help to improve.”
Speaking at the celebration, Mr. Charles Mochiah, adjudged the Overall Best Old Student for the TARPSA ’86 40th Anniversary, appealed to the school authorities to always allow old students to contribute to the development of the school.
According to him, whenever an old student wants to help, they should be given the chance to do so, because whatever they do is not for themselves, but for the benefit of the current students.
He added: “Today, as we celebrate your 40th Anniversary, you have not only come to celebrate, but you have come to give back. This rehabilitated Infirmary and Nurses’ Quarters is a great gift that will benefit students for many years to come.”
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