Cocoa Farmers Scholarship Abolished due to the Free SHS Educational Policy

Cocoa farmers scholarships for their wards issued by the government under the Farmers Scholarship Trust has been abolished according to reports.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) Mr. Joseph Boahen revealed that the funds that served as a sponsorship for the cocoa farmers will be channeled into developing school infrastructure for communities in need. According to the COCOCBOD CEO, the government’s free Senior High School educational policy is entitled to cover all forms of scholarship including that of the COCOBOD.

He updated farmers on this initiative at a cocoa farmer’s gathering at Kokobeng in the Akim Swedru District in the Eastern Region. Referencing from his words on the abolishment of the COCOBOD funding for the wards of Cocoa farmers, he stated that the introduction of the free SHS by the government means there was no longer the need for the COCOBOD fund to continue paying school fees. He therefore recommended that it was needful for the government to allocate that money for a different purpose for the benefit of other people in the country.

“Due to the free SHS introduced by the government, we want to channel that funds into improving school infrastructure in areas where the children walk several kilometers before they can access education facilities," he said.