wGoodluck Jonathan Launches Scholarships For Best 100 First Class Students
President Goodluck Jonathan has inaugurated a committee to scout the nation’s tertiary institutions for the best 100 first-class students that will be given scholarships to further study abroad.
Inaugurating the Special Committee on Scholarship for Best Brains in Abuja, on Thursday, the president instructed the ten-man committee to completely eschew the quota system in the selection process and go for the best brains.
The committee is expected to select the best 100 first-class students in some specialized courses such as the sciences, engineering and economics from universities in the country and expose them to the best facilities in the world.
In a bid to encourage and enhance knowledge transfer, beneficiaries of the scholarship after their graduation, are expected to lecture for the first five years, in the nation’s institutions, after which they can go on to be on their own.
The President, who is a doctorate degree holder, condemned the dearth of academics in the nation’s tertiary institutions, where only 60 percent of lecturers are doctorate degree holders.
President Jonathan noted that such a situation must change if Nigeria is be transformed.
He charged the committee headed by the executive secretary of the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Julius Okojie, to shun quota system and work only on merit in the selection of the brains for the scholarship programme.
According to the President, for Nigeria to maintain its status as a leading African country, and for the transformation agenda of the government to succeed, the government must pay more attention to the development of human capacity.
To this end, he pledged a total commitment to changing the educational system, across all levels from primary to tertiary.
Source: Channels TV
This is one of the best initiative to come out of Nigeria in recent times.
100 First Class Students-Our best brains, thrown to top world universities?-ponder on the brain drain styles of the advanced nations.. Again, has the president waivered their NYSC service year? One other thing to note is that most of current PHD holders, now in overseas, who were govt scholarships, left the nation with O level, A level certificates. But, fast to forget the privileges they had to achieve their present educational status -then,bar our officials from citing their works?
This is a very good idea from Mr President, but if not properly monitor, the opportunity will be converted to Nija usual practice of MAN know MAN. As for me I don’t trust any body in this country again.
God will help us and I believe Something great will come out of this initiative!!! God bless Nigeria!
This is a great development coming from Mr president, but other consideration should be giving to those on second class lower , their grade is intertwin with financial constrain that a determined student has to go through example myself in other to acquire university education. Mr president please sir provide employment!!!
Good initiative, we wll have hope that it turns out good and fine. Thank you Mr. President
wunt dey serve d country(nysc)?? Bsides, most nigerians r knwn for goin abroad 2 study n nt cmin bak so wtz d essence of tkin dem dia wen all dey do is to go n nva return n evn wen dey return, all dey knw is 2 criticize our edu system fgetin dt dey too r nigerians n dey r soposd 2 change d system. Letz tink baut dis.
Thanks for this wonderful initiative Mr. President, but then are students from other discipline like arts excluded from this scheme? I really hope they are also given the chance to enjoy too besides they also made a first class like other science students or are there more important courses to be given concentration than the others?