Borno reintroduces scholarships for indigent students in tertiary institutions
By Dauda R. Pam, Maiduguri
Borno State Government has reintroduced scholarship awards to indigent students studying in varoius tertiary institutions across the country.
The Commissioner for Higher Education, Prof. Isa Marte Hussaini, made this known on Wednesday in Maiduguri while speaking to newsmen on the achievements of the ministry in the past one year and hinted that Gov. Babagana Zulum has approved the sum of N624 million for the scholarship award and that the first tranche of N300 million had been paid to 23,775 students in 49 different institutions across Nigeria.
Under the reintroduced scholarship award, undergraduates students are now to receive between N30,000 and N50,000 per session depending on course of study, while postgraduate students will get N100,000 per session.
“HND students will get between N30,000 and N35,000 while NCE students wlill receive between N20,000 and N25,000,” Prof Hussaini said, adding that necessary funding has been made to cater for 118 students from the state studying abroad.
According to him,education was among the 10-point agenda of the current administration, and that work at the state newly established university had been completed just as renovation work has also been completed at the Ramat Polytechnic, College of Agriculture, College of Legal Studies and the three colleges of education owned by the state in Maiduguri, Bama and Biu.
“We have also completed the construction of a two-storey building modern library complex, one of the best in Nigeria. We have also done the total renovation of the School for the Blind,” Prof.Hussaini said.
Similarly the Commissioner, Ministry of Education, Bello Ayuba, has said, that 21 secondary and 62 primary schools affected by insurgency have since been rehabilitated within the past one year by the present administration.
The Commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Alhaji Ali Kaka, said that classes would resume in the schools when the Federal Government reopens schools which were closed down due to COVID-19 pandemic.
