1,000 less privileged students nationwide to benefits from NOUN Scholarships

The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) says it has finalised arrangements with the World Bank to grant scholarships to 1,000 less privileged students selected from every state in the country.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Abdallah Adamu, said in a statement on Friday in Lagos that the move was to key into the mandate of the Education for All (EFA).

The statement said Adamu made the disclosure when he received some members of the Arewa Students’ Forum (ASF) who visited him in Abuja.

According to the statement, all that is left is for the respective states to key into the project as necessary machinery needed for its actualisation have been put on the ground.

It said that the university was also targeting Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the society.

According to the statement, married women, whom due to any circumstance have stopped their education are also among the university’s priorities.

The statement quoted Adamu as urging members of the forum to join in the campaign to ensure that access to tertiary education was taken to the grassroots around the country.

It said that in doing this, it would go a long way in the forum’s drive to contribute their quota to nation building and spread the activities of the university.

“It will also go a long way in attaining the Education for All (EFA) agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations and the Federal Government.’’

“I urge members of the forum to step up efforts in ensuring that more students from the 19 northern states are registered in the institution as part of the beneficiaries of the World Bank/NOUN 1,000 scholarship initiative,’’ the statement said.

It said that the President of the forum, Mr Habib Ahmed, lauded the vice-chancellor for his contributions to the education sector.

It said that Ahmed said that Adamu had all that was required to take the university to greater heights.

According to the statement, the ASF was dedicated to enhancing human endeavours by putting the plight of its members, in particular and Nigerian youths in general before the government.

It said that Ahmed noted that access to education was a major problem in the society and that the emergence of NOUN was a right step in the right direction.