Sarah NEGEDU
A total of 8,236 indigent students of the Federal Capital Territory have begun receiving bursary payment for the 2020/2021 session, to support their academic programmes across various institutions in the country.
The Secretary of the FCT Education Secretariat, FCT Education Secretariat, Sani El-katuzu, while performing a symbolic presentation of scholarship award letters to some of the beneficiaries, reiterated commitment of the FCT Administration in providing education assistance to indigent pupils and students of the FCT at all levels.
El-Katuzu while charging the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the learning materials and money given to them, called on well-meaning individuals, corporate bodies and organisations to support education of “our children”, because it was no longer feasible for government alone to shoulder the responsibility of educating Nigerians.
A breakdown of the number of beneficiaries indicates that primary schools got 2,229 slots, junior secondary schools benefited 2,184, while senior secondary schools got 948 slots and skills acquisition centres were awarded 179.
Other categories include special needs centres which got 343, Nigerian tertiary institutions 2318, while foreign tertiary institutions got 30 and five braille students, among other.
Director, FCT Scholarship Board Mrs. Hannah David, revealed that her Board has been granted approval by the FCT Minister to key into a special needs programme with the Nigerian Farm Craft Centre for the Blind, Isheri Olofin, Lagos, under the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.
She also stated that the board has been given another ministerial approval to begin batched-training of best 20 indigenous FCT students in WAEC and NECO examinations in foreign tertiary institutions every award session.
In his remarks, chairman, FCT Scholarship Board and the Gomo of Kuje, Alhaji Haruna Jibrin Tanko, commended the secretary and FCTA for keeping fate with the awards, even as he decried dwindling scholarship budget, saying insufficient funds kept piling up scholarship applications.
Represented by Mr. Usman Adejo, the Gomo also charged the beneficiaries to use the scholarships judiciously and make the FCT proud.
Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, president, Abuja Indigenous Students Association, AISA, Abdullazeez Ibn Abdullahi, expressed gratitude to the board and FCTA, and pledged they would make them proud by justifying the investment in them.
He also appealed for increment in the funding to enable more students to benefit.
