Ekiti Govt Awards Scholarships To 50 Indigent Pupils

The Ekiti State Government has taken steps to further address educational inequality in the state with the award of scholarships to 50 indigent pupils and students drawn from the 16 Local Government Areas.

The beneficiaries which comprised 31 primary school pupils and 19 secondary school students, were selected mainly from orphaned and disadvantaged backgrounds under the Special Renewal Back-to-School Scholarship Programme of the Windows and Orphans Hope Support Foundation (WAOH), an initiative of the wife of the Governor, Professor Olayemi Oyebanji, in partnership with Premium Bank.

The beneficiaries were also given educational and household items which included textbooks, notebooks, school lockers, sandals, beds, blankets, mosquito nets and other essential materials.

Speaking through the Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs.) Monisade Afuye, Professor Oyebanji said the intervention was aimed at complementing the administration’s free and compulsory education policy by reducing the financial difficulties confronting vulnerable families.

She said the scholarships would support the beneficiaries from primary education through tertiary level, giving them an opportunity to pursue their aspirations without being hindered by financial challenges.

Under the programme, secondary school beneficiaries are to receive ₦90,000 for school fees and ₦10,000 for upkeep per term, while primary school beneficiaries will receive ₦25,000 for school fees and ₦10,000 for upkeep.

The WAOH Coordinator, Dr. Kemi Dairo, also disclosed that 19 of the secondary school beneficiaries would be transferred to boarding schools to provide them with better supervision, care and a conducive learning environment.