Tunji Adedeji
It was celebration galore on Tuesday when Old Peers of Owerri, Abuja Chapter lifted the burden of paying West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE fees for a total number of 25 students in public school within the state capital.
Handing over the fees to various school heads at the Assembly hall of Government College, Owerri the Coordinator of Old Peers Of Owerri Abuja, Mr Jasper Oparah, said the association deemed it necessary to give scholarship to twenty-five students in various public schools within the Owerri Municipal council area as a way of giving succor to intelligent students with brains.
Oparah encouraged beneficiaries and students, in general, to aspire higher and not end their educational voyage at secondary school level.
Also speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education, Lady Ogechi Ibeagi , described the gesture as a divine intervention in view of the effect of the current financial challenges facing parents and guardians.
Ibeagi who was represented by Mr Uzo Justine Ifeanyi expressed much joy at the kind gesture , saying the gesture will help reduce class gap in the society.
She thanked them for coming together as a group to care for others ,especially now that parents barely manage to pay WEAC fees.
He described Old Peers of Owerri as an association of people of likes mind, who schooled in Owerri with intention of uplifting the society.
Also speaking, Mr Ezem Benedict, Vice Principal Emmanuel College Owerri, who spoke on behalf of other schools principal commended Old Peers Owerri , Abuja Chapter for coming to the aid of many parents at a critical period, and urged other indigenes to emulate them .
He said, we are happy and grateful to witness this philanthropic gesture .it has not been easy for parents to register their children. We urged students to emulate the Old Peers of Owerri because they were once student
An SSS 3 student of Emmanuel College, Sixtus Nnadozie , while responding on behalf of the benefitting students, expressed gratitude to the Old Peers of Owerri for the gesture.
He described the intervention as timely, noting that it came at a time many parents were owing school fees and unsure of where to source funds for the WAEC fees.
Among the beneficiaries are 3 public, Emmanuel College Owerri, Government Secondary School Owerri, Federal Girls Owerri while the remaining two are owned by Catholic Church, including Holy Ghost College Owerri, Owerri Girls Secondary.
