How Much I Paid For My education!|How I managed to complete UEW-K 2014

Hey Everyone and lovely Contestants!,

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I'm @oppongk from Ghana. If you are around in Steem and haven't heard what is going on lately then I would want you to be aware that apart from the Diary game which has become popular Contest is next. And as many of my followers who would be coming across steem today, I am creating a great awareness that there is ongoing contest organized by @rishabh99946 about how you paid for your education. Please get the original post to this announcement here.

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I'm really overwhelmed to be part in this contest because when I saw this contest being having announced I had already gotten my proof pics in my gallery depicting my attendance of the University. The rest was to gather pieces of info for this contest. I'm a past student and alumnus of University of Education, Winneba (UEW-K). I started in the year 2012 and complete in the year 2014. That was 2 years program. This was to enable me attain my Diploma in Education. By then I had completed polytechnic attained HND, so this was a top up for me to become a professional teacher.

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On the Google map, the University is located at Tanoso. It's easily to locate when one alight at Suame round about in Kumasi, it lies on Tanoso to Sunyani road. It's opposite to the former Barclays Bank, now Absa Bank, and closer to Frankay J shopping mall as display in the map here 👇

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UEW-K: http://www.uew.edu.gh

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In the year 2012, it was a hectic year for me, since I had now completed my National service used all my money in search for job, travelling from Kumasi to Accra, the capital city of Ghana. I then ran out of money, unfortunately I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I come from very poor family, to narrate this story would take a lot of time, so let me make summary of it. I was enrolled in the teaching service in February 2011. In Ghana Education Service we were adopted to the old system where an employee could work for 1 year or 2 years without pay. I suffered for 1 and half year before my salary came. So during my admission I was financially handicapped, starving why schooling. The little money left in my hands from my National service allowance that I gathered and got half payment to pay. I had to let one lecturer who sought admission in the school for me to guarantee and sign a bond before I could begin my Science course. I didn't like to put the lecturer ( Dr Sintim ) into ashame so I had to pay it but by bit through the proceeds from my maize farm that I began earlier when I got teaching job.

the uew-k campus view

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This was a sandwich course so we only go during the long vacation when the regular students have vacated. As a teacher, this method and Distance would be helpful to also take care of my family. After part of the fees has been paid, the rest is learning to pass my course. The fact was that I was given Atwima hall, but I was later relocated to Autonomy Hall due to large number of students which were admited that year. Every hall was full. But the Atwima and the Opoku ware Halls are the closest Halls to the main campus. But in terms of structure beauty and facilities, Autonomy hall is great and cool for studies.

autonomy story building hall

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But we walked a long mile from Autonomy hall to Faculty for lectures daily. It was just very long distance. UEW-K is very large branch of campus of University of Winneba, about 10 miles square. So the distanced of lecture halls location are very wide.

walking from Autonomy to Faculty lecture hall

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Sandwich studies is different from regular or main stream studies. Whereas in regular studies, the courses to learn have been spread for semester say 4 months, in sandwich, every thing has been compressed for only a month or two. This put a lot of pressure on we the students. We needed to speed up things, the way we learn, course work and others. At times we closed lectures late in the evening around 8 and 9 pm. This was very difficult to bear for the weak learner's, pregnant and old people. So, what helped us most was the study group we formed to discuss pass papers and relevant salient point of the course. This method helped us a lot since one person wouldn't have finished reading volumes of books we were given in those days.

forming study groups

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Upon all the stress we were able to brought the curtains down for this sandwich course to attain Diploma in the education. Though I passed through a lot of challenges, but at the final year that was 2014, my salary came. They paid some of the arrears and left greater part. But I was cheerful when I got message that my salary has started coming. I settled all the outstanding arrears. So when going for my certificate, I wasn't having any debt ahead of me.

On that faithful day, 5th Dec 2014 that I graduated and received my certificate with credit to my effort. I then counted myself to be among the professional teachers. Thanks to all who helped me to achieve this dream !

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my graduation day

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It was such a very high time I faced in my education career but learnt a lot of things which I have gained more experience. Thanks to all my funs around!!

All images used credited the University website here : http://www.uew.edu.gh