The Distance Students Association of Ghana (DESAG) of the College of Distance Education has launched an Endowment and Scholarship Fund to support brilliant but needy students. "Raising our Dreams Higher: A Shared Responsibility", was the theme for the launch, which was held at the College of Distance Education (CoDE) Conference Room. Speaking at the launch, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, commended the leadership of DESAG for the initiative to support underprivileged students of the College. Quoting from Galatians 6:2, which enjoined Christians to bear one another's burden, Prof. Ampiah said the fund would help alleviate the burden of disadvantaged students. He, however, called for transparency and proper modalities for assessing the fund to prevent any doubts amongst students. Prof. Ampiah, who was the guest of honour, advised students of the College not to look down upon distance education. "Even some of the regular students are still being taught through distance. Even though they are face to face students, lecturers meet some of them on a platform which means with the passage of time, we cannot distinguish between distance learning and the regular learning", he noted. The Provost of CoDE, Prof. Isaac Galyuon, lauded the leadership of DESAG for coming out with the Fund to support needy students and called on managers to ensure regional balance in its disbursement. He said the College would award scholarships to the best graduating students at the next congregation. Prof. Galyuon noted that DESAG had made the requisite arrangements through the fees collection to support the Fund. As a result, Prof. Galyuon urged the students to market the Fund to attract public-spirited organisations and benevolent individuals to support it to cater for the needs of more students. He announced that the College would from 2017/2018 recruit some students of CoDE to do their National Service at the College. The National President of DESAG, Mr. Pearson Sablah, said the Fund would initially support 20 students partially for the first academic year. He noted that it was projected that the Fund would support around 100 people in the next five years. Mr. Sablah, therefore, appealed to government, corporate organisations and individuals to support the Fund so as to assist more less privileged students of the College.
