The Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA), has offered automatic overseas scholarship to outstanding best students in the on-going Einstein Science challenge programme in the state.

The Einstein Science challenge programme was initiated by the Agency in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt GRA District 9140 to stimulate interest in science education among secondary school students in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor local Government Areas.

Commissioning the laboratory located at the Holy Rossary College at the weekend in Port Harcourt, the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA), Mr. Noble Pepple, said that the gesture was to encourage students to take the programme seriously.

Mr. Pepple said that from the scholarship package, the Agency also has other incentives for those that distinguished themselves at the programme.

“There are several awards but the  best is for the young Einstein which is the person who emerges top of the list at the end of the programme to is a scholarship to go and study one of the science disciplines”, he said.

Addressing the students  who are about 120 in number , the Executive Director said that Rivers State is in dire need of scientists to manage both the health, education and other infrastructural facilitities being built across the state by the Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi administration.

He tasked the students to see the opportunity as a rare one that must be grabbed at all cost.

Also speaking, the Vice President of the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt GRA, Rotarian Renny Cookey said that the Rotary Club is a humanitarian organisation and has as part of its programmes vocational training and new generation development, stressing that it was based on these areas of focus that the Einstein Science challenge programme was initiated.

Rotarian Cookey said that the club was  lucky enough to have a strong partnership with the Rivers State substainable Development Agency (RSSDA) and the Holy Rossary College who provided the facilities.

The Rotary Vice President expressed the hope that the programme would help to improve the quality of science education in the state.

Also speaking, the director of Catholic Education, Diocease of Port Harcourt, Monsignor Charles Agu, said the programme will expose the students to the practical parts of science education.

In her speech, the Principal of Holy Rossary College Port Harcourt, Barrister (Mrs) Veronica Efika said that the programme has succeeded in adding colour to what the college is doing.

Someof  the students who spoke to newsmen thanked the RSSDA and the Rotary Club for the programme.