SOBA America offer scholarships worth Nine Million FCFA to students of Saint Joseph’s College, Sasse, Buea

United States and Canada-based former students of Saint Joseph’s College, Sasse, Buea,(SOBANS) have awarded scholarships worth Nine Million FCFA to 50 current students of their alma mater. The benefactors, grouped under the umbrella of SOBA America, handed over the scholarships on October 9, 2016, during their first ever Alumni Day on the campus of Sasse College.

The Catholic college created in 1939 and located on the knoll of Sasse village in Buea is one of the oldest educational institutions in Cameroon. Sasse is known to have produced top grade officials in administration, priesthood, military, journalism, teaching, judiciary, engineering and other corps. SOBA America President, Frederick Mafany Itoe, and his deputy and Co-chair of the Board of Sasse Alumni Association, Dr. Bertrand Fote, flew in from the USA to represent their peers in organising SOBA America Day activities.

The event began with a high mass co-celebrated by Buea’s Ordinary, His Lordship Bishop Immanuel Bushu, and a college of clergy. Present were current and past students, staff and parents of Sasse students, traditional and public authorities and hundreds of guests. The Sasse Alumni Association scholarships were divided into three major categories based on need, merit and morals. There were other awards for best behaved, neatest, most improved, top GCE scorers and top incoming Form One and Lower Sixth students.

Frederick Itoe praised Bishop Bushu, former Principal, Reverend Father Peter Nouck and the current Sasse Principal, Reverend Father Valentine Suum, for their role in facilitating the holding of the annual SOBA America Day in Sasse. He commended the students and staff for consistent 100 per cent scores in the GCE Ordinary and Advanced Level examinations. He challenged the students to henceforth crown their success with higher individual grades.

Itoe announced a future alumni reward of One million FCFA to students who score five “A” grades (25 points) in the GCE Advanced Level and 500,000 FCFA for 11 “A” grades (33 points) in the GCE Ordinary Level in the next three years. A keynote speaker, Dr. Bertrand Fote, recounted how his life was changed by a scholarship he received as student from an alumnus, the late Professor Victor Anomah Ngu, in 1991. The Sasse alumni officials later held mentoring sessions with students of Form Five and Upper Sixth to lay the groundwork for continuous collaboration and success.

Cameroon Tribune