No fewer than 291 JSS 1 students in public secondary schools across Etung Local Government Area have benefitted from a proactive scholarship charity model initiated by the Honourable Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Egbe Ayuk, in a strategic push to eliminate financial obstacles to education.
The initiative took a significant step forward on Tuesday during a high-level engagement between Dr. Ayuk and the Teacher Okongor Asu Ayuk Education Foundation team at the Ministry of Health headquarters in Calabar. The meeting focused on the successful disbursement of the first tranche of scholarship support for 291 JSS 1 students across public schools in Etung, the formal presentation of the 2025/2026 scholarship template, and the adoption of an innovative “Enrollment-First” strategy designed to drive early and sustained school attendance across the LGA’s ten political wards.
Commending the Foundation’s committee for developing a transparent and technically sound roadmap, Dr. Ayuk explained that the initiative, established in honour of his late father, is deliberately structured as a sustainable best-practice model capable of attracting future stakeholders and development partners.
“I deeply appreciate the effort put into this, especially the successful payment for the first term of the 2025/2026 academic session,” Dr. Ayuk said. “We are building a system where any partner can come in and clearly see where their support is going. We will ensure that the structures created are utilized maximally for the benefit of Etung children.”
In his welcome address, the Chairman of the Foundation’s Committee, Hon. Inok Kuti Ebak, PhD, reaffirmed education as the cornerstone of genuine societal development, noting that the committee remains committed to ensuring that school fees are settled at the beginning of each term to encourage enrollment in public secondary schools.
“Whatever concerns education, I am passionate about it,” he stated. “It is the bedrock for true growth and development. What we are doing may seem modest today, but the long-term impact on these students and the community will be immeasurable.”
Providing further insight, the Committee Secretary, Hon. Prince Asu Ebam, outlined the 2025/2026 budget framework, which, he said, guarantees equitable coverage of beneficiaries across all ten political wards of Etung. He noted that funds are being proactively directed to high-priority public community secondary schools, including Government Science School, Ekimkae, and Community Secondary School, Abijang, among others, to ensure that financial hardship does not disrupt attendance or learning.
The meeting concluded with a collective commitment to integrate modern data tracking systems and robust stakeholder engagement mechanisms into the Foundation’s operations, further strengthening transparency, accountability, and scalability.
Jessica Ubi
