Having made substantial progress in the 2022 National Science and Math Quiz, Arla Foods, producers of Dano Milk has presented the coveted “Inner Strength” Award to Assin State College.

The Award comes with Dano Products worth GH¢7000, a plaque, and a scholarship fund of GH¢10,000 - to be presented to Stephen Nyamekye, a contestant at the NSMQ, who represented the Assin State College.

The Dano Inner Strength Award initiative has been instituted to honour the courage and resilience of one Less Endowed School that makes it to at least the money zone of the NSMQ competition.

Arla’s General Manager, Vytautas Petronis, who presented the award said, “At Dano, we want to give the chance to all the children across Ghana to have access to good and affordable nutrition that our Dano Milk provides.

He expressed his excitement about the Award stating, “Your team has demonstrated courage and resilience by taking on the big and well-established schools in the competition.

"You have shown us, by example, that with hard work and determination, year after year, everything is possible. I urge you not to stop but keep on pushing yourself and your peers,” he encouraged.

Wilson, Agbeko, Marketing Manager of Arla Foods Ghana Limited, explained that the cash donation, which is the first of its kind in the Inner Strength Awards was added after the management of Arla Foods in consultation with the school’s authorities decided to support the needy but brilliant student.

“We realised that if we do nothing about the situation, then Stephen, although brilliant, will not be able to continue his education after Assin State College, hence the need to step in.”

Mr Agbeko applauded Assin State College and urged them on to greater heights.

The headmaster of the school, Mr Ohene Nyarko, revealed that Assin State College’s journey in the NSMQ competition started in 2017 but the school, for two consecutive years, got eliminated in the one-eighth stage.

However, in 2022, the school made massive progress by getting to the quarter-final stage as a result of hard work by both students and teachers. He noted the challenges of the school, adding that with the provision of adequate infrastructure and resources, Assin State College will achieve greater laurels.

He seized the opportunity to commend Arla Foods for the presentation to the school.

Present at the ceremony was Nana Adaaquah Okumanini I of the Assin Traditional area, who was also the chairman of the occasion, the District Director of Education, representative of the District Chief Executive, as well as the headmaster, teachers, and Students of Assin State College.