The Lebanese Community in Ghana, under the leadership of Mr Ali H. Halabi, the Lebanese Ambassador, on Tuesday awarded scholarship to 20 Journalism students at the Ghana Institute of Journalism.

The scholarship, which is an annual programme package for journalism students, was awarded to 15 undergraduate students and five post-graduate students to continue their education in Level 200, 300, 400 and the Masters Level.

Dr Wilberforce S. Dzisah, the Rector of the Institute, congratulated the beneficiaries and expressed gratitude to the Lebanese Community for the continuous kind gesture.

He urged the beneficiaries to continue learning hard to prove themselves above the standard they had reached because the scholarship was renewable annually. Dr Dzisah appealed to the Community to extend the gesture to the Public Relations students to help the brilliant but needy student among them to also access the scholarship package.

Mr Halabi, on his part, indicated that the scholarship package covered the full tuition fees of the 15 undergraduates and 75 per cent for the post-graduates students.

He said the Lebanese Community in Ghana believed that the promotion of freedom of speech was crucial in strengthening Ghana’s growing democracy and that the media was the catalyst for social stability and economic development.

He noted that the media was a very powerful institution and, hence, the need for responsible and professional journalists who would have the nation at heart. The Ambassador said aside GIJ, the Community has awarded similar scholarships to law students at the University of Ghana and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

He added that children of martyrs of the Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Immigration and Police services were also being assisted by the scholarship scheme to complete their education.

Mr Halabi pledged the Lebanese Community’s continuous support for Ghanaian students to enable them to contribute meaningfully to Ghana’s development. Mr Prosper Senyo, a beneficiary, on behalf the other recipients, expressed gratitude to the Lebanese Community for the timely intervention of providing them scholarship to continue their education at the Institute.

He gave the assurance that they were going to work hard to excel in not just academics but to become responsible citizens touching the lives of many.