23 GET SCHOLARSHIPS UNDER SISTER-CITY PACKAGE (PAGE 25)

THE long established sister-city relationship between the cities of Tamale and Louisville in the U.S. continues to yield positive results that is impacting positively on the fortunes of the people in the Tamale Metropolis.
The latest beneficiaries of the initiative are 23 selected brilliant needy students from various second cycle institutions in the metropolis whose school fees have duly been paid for their entire four years’ stay in their schools.
They were also presented with dictionaries and mathematical sets to facilitate effective learning in school.
The presentation formed part of the Zo-Simli-Na Dagbon Education Scholarship Fund (ZSNEF).
The scheme was borne out of the Tamale-Louisville Sister-city relation, which was formally established in 1979 between the people of Tamale and Louisville in the USA.
As a result of her personal commitment to the bond between the two cities, the leader of the Louisville team, Dr Susan J. Herlin, was enskinned as Zo-Simli-Na (chief of companionship).
She later helped to establish the scheme for brilliant deprived students in the Tamale metropolis.
Other beneficiaries over the years have included tertiary students, including those in teacher training institutions.
The scholarship scheme, which is in its ninth year, has already produced graduates from the country’s universities and polytechnics, some of whom are gainfully employed.
The president of Sister-cities of Tamale, Alhaji Kojo Kaleem, who presented the payment slips to the beneficiaries in Tamale at the weekend, advised them to justify the investment made by studying hard to pass their examinations.
‘‘The payment of your fees for the four years is on probation that would depend on your conduct and academic performance over the period,’’ he explained.
The treasurer of the scheme, Madam Fati Munkaila, expressed appreciation to the Zo-Simli-Na for her personal efforts and commitment to the successful implementation of the scheme.
‘‘It is only through education, particularly of the females, that we can uplift the image of Dagbon and also accelerate the development of this area,’’ she indicated.
Madam Fati, therefore urged the beneficiaries to be steadfast in their studies, be disciplined and obedient at all times in order that they benefited from their toils in the long run.
On behalf of her colleagues, Ms Mohammed Fadila of the Business Senior High School thanked their benefactors for their immense assistance and gave a pledge to live up to expectation at all times.