The Deputy Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for the Tolon constituency in the Northern Region, Habib Iddrisu, has disbursed an amount of three hundred and twenty thousand (GHS320,000) to support brilliant but needy students in his constituency through his personal initiative dubbed the Soyalana Educational and Endowment Fund.
The pro-poor educational intervention is aimed at providing financial support to underprivileged students in the area to acquire tertiary education in various professional careers.
At a short handing ceremony held on Monday (September 8, 2025), a total of two hundred and twenty-nine (229) students received checks of various sums to pay their school fees.
The latest figure brings the total number of students who have received financial support through the Soyalana Educational and Endowment Fund to over two thousand (2000) since it was launched in 2021.
In his address, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) legislator reaffirmed his commitment to sustaining the initiative to benefit more children and further urged this year’s beneficiaries to make very good use of the funds provided to them.
He underscored the importance of education to the personal growth of individuals and the development of the district, emphasising that education is no more than life but education in itself is life.
“I want to urge all students to take this as a stepping stone. It may not be enough to pay all your fees, but it is always better to have something than to have nothing.”
“Many educators have said that education is no longer a way to life, but education itself is life; so if you take education seriously, you will definitely go far. And it is said that if you want to change the world, you have to invest in education, and any investment in knowledge will always give you higher interest in life,” he asserted.
The Deputy Minority Whip seized the medium to further outline some infrastructure projects being done in the constituency to boost access to quality basic education, healthcare, and sanitation since being elected as the MP in the last four years.
“About fifteen (15) six-classroom blocks, toilet facilities, and mechanised boreholes in various communities across the constituency, which I have already mentioned. “About two kindergartens, a STEM school, a district library, and many other scholarships, including international scholarship packages,” he emphasised.
The step taken by the lawmaker is geared towards addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4, which highlights the provision of an inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all, fostering lifelong learning opportunities and bridging the global education gap.
Habib Iddrisu, therefore, expressed his excitement for being able to provide such support to needy children, stating, “I am very happy because I never got this opportunity. I remember when I was going to the university, I could not even afford school fees [my parents couldn’t pay]. I had to go to teacher training college because there was an allowance, and the assertion was that if I went to teacher training college, they would start paying me an allowance, and I could further my education.
Additionally, the MP also presented items worth GHS200, 000 including laptops, a printer, a photocopier machine, and other accessories, to the Tolon District Education Directorate to support their operations.
