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The Federal Government has dispatched a total of 70 indigent
Nigerian students, who bagged the 2012 Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA)
scholarships to China and Russia.
The students bagged the scholarships under the Bilateral
Educational Agreement between Nigeria and 21 other foreign countries.
The recipients were candidates, who emerged successful in
the BEA Scholarship Award 2012 as advertised online on the 16th February, 2012.
In case you missed the advert, please click the link below to view it:
Federal Ministry of Education 2012 / 2013 BEA Scholarship
Awards for Postgraduates and Undergraduate Programmes
Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa'i, who
spoke in Abuja, at the orientation preceding the departure of the students, on
Wednesday, urged them to work hard and be of good conduct in order to excel in
their studies.
Rufa'i noted that there was significant increase in the
scholarship awards this year, in spite of the global downturn, saying a total
of 210 scholarship offers had been issued to Nigerian students by the
development partners for the 2012/2013 academic session.
"Out of this, four beneficiaries have since arrived
China to study Medicine. Today, we are here for the departure of 70 scholars to
China and Russia," she said.
According to her, the government had, in a bid to strengthen
bilateral agreement with development partners and develop manpower needs, in
1999, revitalised the federal scholarship scheme by investing more in both
national and international programmes.
Rufa'i said as of 2012, Russia had increased the number of
offers to 70 annually, while China maintained 25 at every instance.
Other countries, which had also continuously issue
scholarship offers to Nigeria annually, according to the minister, are Cuba,
China, Japan, Morocco, Turkey, Ukraine, Serbia, Romania and Algeria.
The Director of the Federal Scholarship Board, Mrs Hindatu
Abdullahi, said Nigeria would have lost about 153 slots to the keen contest by
other competing countries, but for the timely intervention of the Federal
Government.
Abdullahi said for the 2012 fiscal year, N968,146,476 was
approved by Government to service the scheme both at home and abroad.
She explained that under the agreement, the host countries
would bear the cost of tuition and accommodation as well as provide a
"little” stipend for the students, while Nigeria would provide warm
clothing and monthly allowances, pay the travel and administrative expenses and
feeding costs.
She noted that the scheme was meant for brilliant and
indigent Nigerians whose parents could not afford to sponsor them to study
abroad.
The director said that all the beneficiaries had
distinctions at one sitting in the West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) or
National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations.
She urged the students to make very good use of the
opportunity offered by the Federal Government to study and preserve the good
image of the country.
"There would be no room for extension of scholarship
awards owing to incompetence," she said.
Abdullahi said apart from the 70 scholars departing on
Thursday night, four others had left for Cuba to study medicine. (NAN)
Source: Nigerian Tribune and Punch
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