Accra, Dec. 17, GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills on Friday announced that government from next academic year would award scholarships to students who would be undertaking Science, Mathematics, and Engineering courses at the secondary and tertiary levels.

The scholarship, he said, was to encourage students to study those courses to meet the high demand of those professionals, particularly with oil and gas exploitation and production underway.

President Mills announced these when he feted over 100 basic school students selected from all the 10 regions of the country at a short ceremony at the Castle gardens.

The feast, which was created last year by the President for brilliant children from across the country, is to offer them the opportunity to meet the President and learn ideas that could raise them to leadership positions. President Mills presented the students with hampers containing groceries, wrist watches and spectacles.

He advised them to be disciplined in all the sectors of studies, adding that "With discipline nothing is impossible, and a nation without discipline is one which is on the road to destruction." President Mills said discipline in schools should include; punctuality, respectfulness and general adherence to rules and regulations of their schools.

Vice President John Dramani Mahama gave the assurance that government would continue to provide the necessary logistics that would facilitate their studies and called on the students to satisfy their side of the bargain by learning hard to become custodians of future leadership. He appealed to teachers to spend adequate time with the children to know their problems and find lasting solutions to them. Mr Alex Tettey Enyo, Minister of Education, commended President Mills for the initiative and urged the students to show appreciation by learning hard to achieve their future goals.