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Nigeria: Stakeholders Tasked On Youth Scholarships
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This Day (Lagos)
6 May 2008
Posted to the web 7 May 2008
Funmi Ogundare
Lagos
The Principal Counselor, Harvestfield Educational Services, Mrs. Elsie Otegbade, has called on governments at all levels, as well as corporate organisations and other stakeholders, to increase educational support for youths in the form of grants and scholarships.
Otegbade, who made this call recently in Lagos at the opening ceremony of the 4th International Education Expo 2008 with the theme, "Exploring More Options for the Education of our Youths", said some students who are very intelligent are still prevented from going abroad to study because of lack of financial support.
"Every year, a huge number of our youths are churned out of secondary schools all over the nation but only a fraction of this number actually gain admission into tertiary institutions at home and abroad.
"When someone cares enough to support a student, it is not a waste of money but an investment in the future", she said.
Otegbade said research has shown that Nigeria has just about 90 properly functioning universities compared to over 3500 in the United States of America .
"For a population as huge as ours, this is grossly inadequate", he said. "We also observed that some universities are over-populated while others are under populated. This is so because there isn't sufficient awareness about a section of the schools and the courses they offer", she said.
Partner, KPMG, Mr. Wole Obayomi, advised students who intend studying abroad to think of a career first before choosing the university they intend to go.
"In terms of choice, you have to determine what career you intend to pursue. There are different universities that are specialised in different courses. Ask yourself the kind of course you intend to study, afterwards network within peer groups in order to get the best information on different opportunities universities offer, "he adviced
Academic Registrar, Kingsbridge School of Management and Technology, London , said it is important that every student get the right education, saying a student stands a better chance of employment, especially with a United Kingdom (UK) qualification.
Assistant Director of Admissions, American University of Nigeria , Mrs. Umma Aliu Musa, said her institution offers scholarship to students who have excellent grades.
Musa, who disclosed that the institution would graduate its first set of students next year, said the requirements for admission is an excellent secondary school results, a very strong JAMB score and a very good recommendation letter indicating that the admission seeker is one of the top students in his or her secondary school.
"If you cannot afford to come to our school because of the cost implication, please read hard and get excellent grades. If you do that, we assure you of a scholarship", she said
A student of Lerato Comprehensive College , Ikeja, Master Austin Inanya, said he prefers to study abroad because Nigerian universities lack the facilities of the course he intends studying.
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"I intend taking Alevels and possibly getting admission into one of these universities because of my dreams and ambitions. I intend to study Computer Engineering, but thefacilities are not available here in the country. This makes it important for me to try and find a school abroad although my father used to tell me that one's determination is what matters and not the school one attended", he said.
A parent, Mrs. Adunola Osinkanle described the expo as an eye opener to students who want to study abroad.
She regretted that education in Nigeria has been bastardised. According to her, a student who is supposed to spend four years in the university might end up spending 10 years. "If our children travel abroad, four years would be four years and they would have achieved something for their future. This would be unlike the situation here where our young ones are constantly exposed to bad things such as cultism and other kinds of vices, which make parents sad."
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