TANA FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP (TFS)

PILOT PROJECT – IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINE

The committee of Tana Family Scholarship (TFS), which is led by Solomon Nurga, Yodit Negede and Mastewal Alemu, produced the TFS implementation guideline. The committee has been actively exchanging ideas with their team and released the following scholarship guideline.

On behalf of all members and students we would like to express our special gratitude to Solomon, Yodit and Mastewal for producing a complete scholarship guideline in short period of time.

All members and family of Tana Haik please be part of this project, currently an amount of $5,350 (44.6% of the total $12,000) is collected using the Gofundme Page :  https://www.gofundme.com/TanaScholarship

Please feel free to send us your comment and feedback about the following scholarship guideline.Here is our email address Tana Haik <tanagraduates@gmail.com> or tesera3@gmail.com.

1      BACKGROUND

1.1  Tana Haik Comprehensive Secondary SchooL^*

1.1.1      Overview

Location: Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, 11°36’02.0″N 37°22’15.0″E

Tana Haik Comprehensive Secondary School was established in 1965 G.C as the only high school for young students in Bahir Dar city and its surrounding, in Northwestern Ethiopia. For more than half a century, the school has been a fountain of knowledge for young people in Bahir Dar and adjacent towns. During its establishment, it also served as dormitory for Bahir Dar Polytechnic College. Until recent years, Tana Haik has been one of the only 2 state-owned high schools in the city. The school currently accepts students of grades 9 to 12, for high school and college preparatory studies.

1.1.2     Demographics

Tana Haik comprehensive secondary school currently has a total of 2,710 students enrolled for secondary and preparatory studies. The gender composition is reported to be 49.7% (1,348) male and 50.3% (1,362) female students.

1.2     Tana Haik Alumni Network

The Tana Haik Alumni Network is formed by former students and friends of the Tana Haik Comprehensive Secondary School. It was originally established in 2012 G.C. The Alumni Network aims to support current students and community of the Tana Haik Comprehensive Secondary School. To that end, the Alumni Network has organized successful events in the past, including but not limited to:

• Donated library furniture for a more resourceful study environment
• Awarded outstanding students of both genders annually
• Set up a thank-you dinner program for former teachers
• Provided internet service to the library
• Organized campaigns for book donations
• Coordinated events for alumni volunteers to share experience and inspire current students

The Tana Family Scholarship (TFS) is a new program created to strengthen previous activities mentioned above. The scholarship plans to extend the support provided to the school community to a higher level, allowing more students to achieve their academic and professional dreams.

2      OBJECTIVE

• Support students who uphold high standards of academic performance at Tana Haik Comprehensive Secondary School.

With the opening of a few private schools in the city, it has been noted that majority of students attending school at the state-owned Tana Haik Comprehensive Secondary School are from socioeconomically disadvantaged households. Hence, students face a wide variety of challenges including housing and utility costs, school materials, clothing, transportation, etc. Considering the unique challenges facing the majority of the students at this iconic institution, this scholarship program has been designed to provide support for 24 students throughout the academic year, allowing them to fully focus on their academic studies and encourage other fellow students to pursue academic excellence.

3      AWARD

3.1     Recipients

A total of 24 students will be included annually in the TFS program: 6 students of each grade level (9 to 12) will receive the scholarship support. Of the 6 students, 3 scholarship positions will be allocated to 3 students of each grade level with the highest overall annual average score. The remaining 12 scholarship positions will be granted to applicants as per the eligibility/criteria listed in section 4.1, review process and drawing results of events organized by the scholarship management committee.

The TFS program believes that women’s education should be highly encouraged given that the existing resources and opportunities are inadequate for female students by comparison to their male counterparts in the region. Hence affirmative action shall be considered in the awards granted to female students as follows:

1. An increase in the number of scholarship opportunities granted to qualified female students,
2. The inclusion of added benefits within the existing scholarship package (i.e. tutoring, mentorship, etc…), and/or
3. Providing added financial incentives to empower girls in recognition of the added effort that they put to overcome gender-based challenges, including the burden from household chores, lack of access to feminine products, the need for specialized health care and counseling, gender bias and social pressure etc.

3.2     Duration

The TFS program plans to provide financial and material support to scholarship recipients for a period of one full academic year. For administrative purposes, these financial incentives and other associated supports (e.g. school materials) will be scheduled to be provided to scholarship recipients twice a year.

3.3     Award Form

TFS award shall be provided in the form of school materials and financial support for scholarship recipients. Specific award types and amounts will be proposed by the scholarship administration committee based on students’ necessities and available funds.

Proposed award forms will be reviewed and approved by a virtual meeting called for all the alumni network members. Review and approval meeting shall be held twice a year, in advance of providing awards to recipients.

4     APPLICATION TO SCHOLARSHIP

4.1     Eligibility and Criteria

All Tana Haik Comprehensive Secondary School regular students who meet the criteria listed below are eligible for applying to the scholarship program:

• All current students of Tana Haik High School enrolled in the regular (day time) program, attending grades 9 to 12
• Students of an overall annual average score of minimum 85%

4.2     Application Documents

Each eligible applicant is required to provide all documents listed below to be considered for the scholarship:

1. Copy of the applicant’s Tana Haik student ID
2. Copy of applicant’s academic transcript from previous grade level, and
3. Completed scholarship application form

The applicant’s family demographic information will be collected in the application forms for statistical purposes only, and will not be used as a factor to determine eligibility.

4.3     Invitation and Deadlines

An invitation for TFS application shall be announced by the alumni network annually, at the end of each academic year. The announcement will state the criteria for eligibility, documents to be submitted, representatives for submission and deadlines for submitting applications.

4.4     Submission

Eligible students may submit applications in person to local designated representatives of the Alumni group (TFS program coordinators) in Bahir Dar city.

5      ADMINSTRATION (SCHOLARSHIP MANAGEMENT)

5.1     TFS Management Committee

A TFS Management Committee comprised of the following parties will be selected annually by the Alumni General Meeting to administer the scholarship program. The TFS Management Committee shall consist of:

• 3 alumni representatives in Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia
• 5 representatives of the Tana Haik Alumni Network residing abroad
• 2 current staff members of Tana Haik Comprehensive Secondary School

5.2     Tasks

The Management Committee shall

• Schedule and disclose invitation announcements to applicants
• Coordinate application collection methods
• Review applications and shortlist the applicants
• Verify student data and receive remarks from teachers and/or administrators
• Set up events to announce scholarship recipients once a year
• Propose annual award budget and resource allocation to the Alumni Network
• Report updates at least twice a year and make preliminary decisions to be approved by the General Assembly of the Alumni Network
• Schedule and provide awards to recipients twice a year
• Prepare and submit annual performance reports to the General Assembly of Tana Haik Alumni Network and to the Tana Haik Secondary School administration. The report should summarize both financial and technical activities during the academic year, along with any recommendations.

The TFS committee shall review and apply the most reliable and convenient method while transferring awards to recipients. Financial support to recipients shall be deposited directly to a local bank account twice a year, preferably 2 to 4 weeks in advance of each academic semester.

6      REVIEW PROCESS

TFS Management Committee will review all submitted applications based on the eligibility and criteria listed in 4.1. TFS Management Committee members shall set up a meeting to produce a shortlist of applicants.

7      DRAW AND ANNOUNCEMENT

An open event will be organized in Bahir Dar city by the TFS Management Committee to identify and announce final scholarship recipients. All short-listed applicants from each grade level and gender group will be entered into a random drawing of their respective category to identify final scholarship winners.

Invited guests and/or guest speaker(s) shall be requested to perform the drawings and announce the drawing results at the event.

After the drawing ceremony, the TFS Management committee shall document and formally announce the 24 scholarship recipients.

8      Sources of FUNDING

The Tana Family Scholarship is currently funded by contributions from members of the Tana Haik Alumni Network. Annually, the Alumni Network will organize fundraising campaigns to support the scholarship program. In addition, membership contributions will be collected to support the program.

The annual budget estimated for the currently anticipated scholarship program is is USD 12,000. It is expected that the Alumni Network will seek for additional funding sources to fully implement the scholarship.

The alumni network is registered as a non-profit organization in the United States of America in order to receive donations from external funding sources.

9      Audit and Documentation

All expenses associated with the scholarship program shall be documented and be reviewed by an independent auditor annually. Review of audit results shall be available to all members of the Tana Haik Alumni Network.

 

Prepared by 

Solomon Nurga Biza
Profession – Engineer
Current City/State/Country – Chicago, IL, USA
Tana Haik Class of  2002 GC / 1994 E.C
Favorite quote – “Great Things Happen When We Come Together”

 

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• Yodit Negede Gedamu
• Profession –  Program Manager/Business Owner
• Current City/State/Country – Salisbury, Maryland – USA
• Favorite quote –  “Though life is short, one should live and act in such a way that his achievements will bring him and his country a good name forever. If he does not use his training for worthy ends, he will be an enemy to himself and an obstacle to others. He will, indeed, be sick while supposedly healthy and dead while still alive.” – H.I.M. Atse Haile Selassie I
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Mastewal Alemu Tilahun

Profession: Engineer/Lecturer
Current city and country of residence: Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Tana Haik class of 2002 G.C (1994E.C)

Favorite quote: GOD is great!   እግዚአብሔር ታላቅ ነው!

 

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Join Tana Haik Alumni Network :

• Viber group: https://invite.viber.com/?g=MCNz2pNfI0Y5jZVgy9VPR-lzyhXdJD2G
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/325812767871551/
• https://www.gofundme.com/TanaScholarship

Tana Haik Alumni Network