Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) has disbursed GH¢125, 000 to 31 brilliant but needy students from five public universities to enable them pursue their academic programmes.

The beneficiary students were drawn from the University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University of Cape Coast, University of Development Studies and University of Education, Winneba.

Mr Kweku Bedu Addo, Chief Executive Officer, SCB, said the Bank is a strong believer in education and a proud supporter of the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development which seeks to make the world a better place by 2030.

He said although the goals were launched in September this year, the Standard Chartered Trust Fund set up many years ago had addressed issues raised in Goals 4 and 10.

He said the goal 4 aims at ensuring an inclusive and quality education for all and promoting lifelong learning whiles Goal 10 focuses on reducing inequalities within and among countries.

Mr Bedu-Addo said one important benefit of education was that it allowed the individual to have an open mind.

“The more you know about the world, the more you understand and respect it, social issues become clearer, prejudice and stereotypes disappear.

‘’We aim to support the beneficiaries and hope that the donation from the fund should inspire you to want to learn in order to make an impact in the world; the opportunities you will be afforded in the various universities will change your life forever and would be an opening to so many doors for your future’’, Mr Bedu-Addo said.

Madam Felicia Gbesemete, speaking on behalf of the Trustees of the Fund, said the Bank has two endowment funds, the Standard Chartered Science Education Trust Fund and the Standard Chartered Kenneth Dadzie Memorial Education Trust Fund.

She said the latter Fund is named after Kenneth K.S. Dadzie a Ghanaian diplomat, who served as the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) between 1986 and 1994.

Madam Gbesemete said the purpose of both Funds was fundamentally the same that is to provide funding by way of scholarships and other forms of financial assistance.

She said while the Kenneth Dadzie Fund focuses on postgraduate programmes in Economics and business related courses, the Science Education Fund, covers both undergraduate and post graduate students pursuing Science.

Madam Gbesemete said the last disbursement under the Trust fund was made in April 2004, thereafter, the term of the Trusteeship expired and the fund became inactive.

She said, in 2009, the Board of the Bank took a decision to reconstitute the Funds by appointing new Trustees and reviving the Funds.

Madam Gbesemete said to be eligible to the Funds, beneficiaries must be needy and brilliant and must have demonstrated good conduct whilst pursing their courses.

Beneficiaries must also be students of any of the above stated public universities in Ghana.