Chief Imam sets up education fund

17/07/09


Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru & Barbara Tandoh

AN Islamic education fund to support brilliant needy students irrespective of their religion has been established by the National Chief Imam Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu.
The scheme known as ‘Dr Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu Education Trust Fund’ will be launched on August 15, this year.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra last Tuesday, Sheikh Sharubutu said education was the bedrock of every society, and that the establishment of the fund was to complement the government’s effort at promoting education in the country.
He said many students faced financial difficulties with some dropping out of school as a result.
He said the plight of brilliant needy students in the muslim community was so abject that he had personally supported some students who came to him for support.
The Chief Imam said he was moved by the plight of these students to establish the fund to provide financial assistance to them.
He stressed, however, that every needy student irrespective of his or her religion was qualified to assess the fund.
According to him, his main preoccupation was the development of the country, which “cannot be achieved without education.”
A part of the fund will be used to establish educational institutions and provide educational materials to schools in deprived communities. There will also be free counselling and consultancy services to students and unemployed youth on education and entreprenuership.
The 11-member Board of Directors, chaired by Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim, will operate and control the fund. The rest of the members are Alhaji Mohammed Mamah Gado, Alhaji Mohammed Aminu Futa, Dr Ahmed Bin-Yunusah, Alhaji Showumi Abdullahi Williams, Alhaji Alhassan Abdullahi, Rev. Emmanuel Perigrino Brimah, Mrs Sakeena K. Bonsu, Sheikh Seebaway Zakaria, Alhaji Yusif Ibrahim and Mr Khuzaima Mohammed Osman.
A technical team has been set up to evaluate students’ applications and make recommendations to the Board.
Members of the Board will seek funding from donor communities, individuals, business entities, public organisations as well local and international organisations.
Sheikh Sharubutu stressed on the need for the youth to pursue both secular and religious education to put them in a good stead to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.
He lauded the peaceful co-existence between Muslims and Christians in the country, and called for alot of collaboration among the leaders of the two faiths.
The Chairman of the fund, Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim,noted that the establishment of fund was a giant step towards ensuring that “every Ghanaian child is given quality education.”
He, therefore, appealed to corporate bodies, individuals, local and international organisations to provide financial assistance to the fund.
The National Chief Imam has established seven schools in Accra, and put up an educational complex at Kasoa in the Central Region, which will be commissioned on August 1, 2009.