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Nigeria: $5bn Unesco Science Foundation for Nigeria
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This Day (Lagos)
1 April 2008
Posted to the web 1 April 2008
Onwuka Nzeshi
Abuja
The United Nations Educational Scientific and CulturalOrganisation (UNESCO) yesterday renewed its bid to assist Nigeria in floating a five billion dollar National Science and Technology Foundation.
The foundation when established will promote research in science and technology education while providing Nigeria an added advantage in realising its vision of joining the league of industrialized nations by 2020. Director and Country Representative of UNESCO in Nigeria, Mr. Abhimanya Singh disclosed this in Abuja at the opening of the maiden edition of the Nigeria/UNESCO Quiz Competition for Primary and Secondary Schools.
Singh said the proposal for the setting up of the Foundation was first mooted duringthe Obasanjo administration after an analytical study conducted by the UNESCO showed that such a foundation could launch Nigeria into a more strategic position for the anticipated break through in technological development.
"After the analytical studies done by UNESCO, aproposal emerged that the federal government of Nigeria should establish a science foundation to promote fundamental research in science and technology, which can be funded through an endowment of 5 billion dollars.
"The past administration took keen interest in the proposal, which was prepared along with legislation for consideration by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
And that is now being taken up as an important priority by the new administration", he said.
Singh however, expressed dismay at what he called the negative mindset of Nigerians, which discourages the girl child from embracing the study of sciences.
According to him, there was need to encourage more women into science based fields such engineering ,Physics and other related courses, which they are notfavourably disposed to do because of conservative attitudes of most parents. Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Umaru Aji who declared the special quiz competition open said the project was a presidential initiative being driven by the Steering and Implementation Committees inaugurated at both state and federal levels.
The first phase of the initiative he said has been concluded and funded by the Education Trust Fund (ETF) during which science and mathematics kits for teachers and pupils were distributed to pilot schools.
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The competition, he said, was another significant step in the quest for excellence in the development of science and technology education in Nigeria.
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