466 Benefit From University Scholarship

The Bayelsa State Government says 466 students have so far benefitted from its university scholarship scheme spread across 100 institutions in 30 countries.

The state Ministry of Education and the Scholarship Board made this known at a media briefing in Yenagoa on Thursday.

The ministry and the board gave the score-card of the board since the inception of the Governor Seriake Dickson’s administration.

The Commissioner for Education, Chief Adikumo Salo, said the students were studying in various disciplines relevant to the immediate and future manpower needs of Bayelsa State.

Our correspondent reports that the commissioner also explained that government had earmarked N1 billion for the scheme in 2012.

He said that 100 out of the 141 beneficiaries for post graduate scholarship programme had started lectures while others were being delayed by the conditional admission process in the United Kingdom.

Salo said the Dickson’s administration inherited two undergraduate and post graduate scholarship schemes in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Malaysia, adding that all tuition fees had been paid.

The commissioner said allowances for the months of September, October and November, 2012 had been paid for those in Malaysia.

According to him, out of the 84 students in the Asian country, 24 graduated in October 20 with five of them in first class division and 12 in second class upper divisions.

The Chairman of the scholarship board, Mr Foster Ogulah, said the board had initiated programme to accommodate students who graduated in third class and pass divisions at the state-owned Niger Delta University.

According to him, this is expected to prepare such persons for higher academic pursuit within and outside the country.

Ogulah explained that all beneficiaries were expected to work with the State Government for a given number of years under a bond as practiced elsewhere in the world.

It would berecalled that post graduate scholarship programme  started in Bayelsa State by the Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha’s administration.