The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has clarified its decision to discontinue its longstanding scholarship program, unveiling a new educational initiative in its stead.
This shift comes in response to the government’s implementation of free senior high school education.
COCOBOD announced the cessation of its scholarship program, which historically aided the education of children of cocoa farmers, citing the redundancy brought about by the free SHS policy.
In a statement released on Thursday, COCOBOD introduced the Cocoa Board Education Trust, aimed at enhancing primary school infrastructure in underserved cocoa-growing regions.
However, COCOBOD emphasized that some individuals misunderstood this transition as the dissolution of the scholarship program.
The board stressed that the redirection of resources signifies not the termination of their educational support but rather a strategic reallocation to address more urgent educational needs.
The newly established trust seeks to bridge the gap in infrastructure between rural and urban schools by providing vital resources such as classrooms, libraries, teachers’ residences, and other facilities to create an enabling learning environment.
COCOBOD urged the public to endorse this transition, highlighting that the trust represents a broadening of their efforts to meet the changing educational requirements in rural communities.