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Paulina Mensah Boadiwaa, a 17-year-old form two student of the Wesley Girls High School has been adjudged the winner of a National Essay Competition organized by the United Bank for Africa. In a short ceremony at the Bank�s Headquarters in Accra, Miss Boadiwaa took away a scholarship package GHS 17,700.00, a laptop and a certificate after coming up top out of the twelve shortlisted for the final from the 650 entries. The first-runners up was Makafui Ama Tse Esther of Mawuli Senior High School while the third position went to Dorcas Nuku Darko a student of the Keta Senior High School. The first and second runners-up also came with scholarship packages of GHS 12,390.00 and GHS 7,080.00 respectively towards university tuition/fees and a laptop. Ijeoma Aso, Head of UBA foundation, the Corporate and Social Responsibility explained that the scholarship packages would be put in a trust fund which would be disbursed in trenches throughout their university education. ��the idea is to gradually ease off whatever money your parents pay per term or semester�. Miss Aso, however, warned the three winners against indulging in social vices because �scholarship would be canceled if a report is made from you school about that�. She also called on the remaining nine finalists to raise their heads high and be proud to have been shortlisted. On his part, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the deputy Minister of Education lauded UBA for such an initiative and further advised the winning students not to rest on their oars but read wider to broaden their scope. �..what many us do not know is that there is a huge economy in literature. Who knows? We have in one of you Ghana�s first Nobel Prize winner in literature. Your books can be read all over the World and there is huge money to be made there�. He further stated that the UBA National Essay Competition amongst Senior High School students could have come at a better time where social media is impacting negatively on the English writing of students. �This is an innovation that is very commendable,� he said.