…as Engineer Sule directs scholarship board to access other grants
The Nasarawa State Government has commenced the disbursement of bursary/scholarship for the 2020/21 academic session, to indigenes of the state studying in various institutions of higher learning across the country.
Governor Abdullahi Sule flagged off the bursary allowances disbursement at a ceremony at the College of Education Akwanga, on Thursday.
This is just as the Governor directed the state scholarship board, to collaborate with other organisations both within and outside the country, including ministries, departments and agencies, in order to access scholarship opportunities for Nasarawa State students studying particularly science and technology.
While flagging off the disbursement, Governor Sule announced upward review of the bursary/scholarship allowances, with indigenes of the state studying at the various law schools, will now receive N300, 000 instead of the previous N100, 000. Bursaries for physically challenged students is N30, 000 instead of N20, 000. Other category of students will now get N20, 000 instead of N10, 000.
He said it has become necessary for the scholarship board to seek for other means to compliment the effort of his administration as it is becoming glaring that government along cannot be able to shoulder the burden of the bursary award because of the increasing number of Nasarawa State students studying in tertiary institutions.
The Governor equally announced new measures put in place, involving the use of bank cards to directly transfer to benefiting students, to curb arbitrary deductions.
“As you are aware, scholarship is an incentive provided to the students to compliment their financial status and motivate them towards the attainment of their educational pursuit,” Governor Sule added.
He reiterated the commitment his administration to continue to prioritize the education sector in the state, based on the conviction that, building sound and quality education enhances socioeconomic development of any society.
He pointed put that since his assumption of office, his administration has continued with the disbursement of scholarship to deserving students as earlier started by previous administrations.
Governor Sule said, so far, his administration has disbursed N112, 170, 542. 80 in 2019, N234, 845, 028. 21 for 2020, N126, 244, 998. 97 for 2021 and N295, 973, 379. 01 for 2022, totalling N769, 233, 948. 99 as bursary/scholarship allowances to students.
He explained that disbursement for the 2020/21 session will be in two phases.
The Governor urged the beneficiaries to utilize the funds judiciously, in order to support their educational pursuit to the benefit of the society.
Based on the commitment of the government to prioritize education, he added that, his administration employed collective engagement, to persuade the local chapter of the Academic Staff Uninion of Universities (ASUU), at the Nasarawa State University Keffi (NSUK), to pull out from the national strike and to resume academic activities.
He therefore, used the opportunity to commended the leadership of ASUU at the state-owned university for accepting to call of its strike for the benefit of the of students.
In a goodwill message, state Commissioner for Education, Hajiya Fatu Jimeta Sabo, said the exercise is bur further testimony to the Governor Sule’s resilient commitment to not only creating a conducive learning environment but also alleviating the plight of indigent students in tertiary institutions within and outside the state.
The commissioner noted that, since the assumption into office in May, 2019, the Governor has continued to accord the education sector utmost priority as witnessed by the large budgetary allocation, which in the last three successive years, exceeded the UNESCO benchmark.
Hajiya Fatu said as a result of this gesture, tertiary institutions in the state, have been able to procure necessary infrastructure and equipment, as well as recruit additional academic and non academic staff to ensure quality service delivery.
“As a result, these tertiary institutions were able to secure accreditation for nearly all the courses presented before the accreditation bodies namely NUC, NBTE and the NCCE,” she added.
She also appealed to the beneficiaries to utilize the allowances judiciously.
In a welcome address, Executive Secretary, Nasarawa State Scholarship Board, Hajiya Sa’adatu Yahya, disclosed that the Governor approved for the disbursement of bursary allowances to 8, 818 beneficiaries for the 2020/21 session.
The executive secretary explained that, out of this number of beneficiaries, 3, 572 will receive their verve cards under the first phase of the disbursement.
She said the board introduced the use of verve cards in order to facilitate seamlessness and transparency in the disbursement.
