By Sunusi Usaini Madobi
The educational sector under Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar is receiving a befitting facelift through the allocation of over 30% of the state budget to the sector which is beyond the UNESCO bench mark of 26%, this is in line with the policy of the present administration to reposition the educational sector for more fruitful result.
The state scholarship board is an agency under the state Ministry of education.
Under its erudite and incorruptible Executive Secretary, Babandi Abubakar Gumel, the board has recorded significant achievements in the last two years. Of particular significance is ensuring the prompt and regular payment of students’ allowances. This feat is being achieved through the enthronement of a transparent and accountability process whereby the students are screened before an award letter is given to each student in addition to equity, justice and fairness.
Currently a strong team has been constituted by the scholarship board to inspect schools inorder to screen all students who applied for scholarship.
The screening began with the College of Education, Gumel; College of Islamic and Legal Studies, Ringim; College of Business and Management Studies, Dutse; Informatics Institute, Kazaure; State University, Kafin Hausa; and the Federal University, Dutse. Letters were also dispatched to other tertiary institutions across the federation. This is to ensure that all indigent students of the state, who are eligible and applied for scholarship, are properly screened and issued letters of award. On concluding the screening exercise in the tertiary institutions in the state, the committee would proceed to other tertiary institutions around the country, where indigenes of Jigawa state are studying so as to screen them. Consequently, adequate provision has been made in terms of logistics to ensure that all schools are fully covered.
This has justified the commitment of the board to ensure justice, equity and fair play towards the provision of scholarship to enhance learning in tertiary institutions. The allowance, which is being paid per session, is categorized based on courses and the programmes. Undergraduates get more allowances than NCE and Diploma students while those in sciences and medicine get more allowances than students of arts and social sciences. This is to encourage the study of specialized courses, especially science and medicine.
The introduction of payment to students through their individual accounts is a mechanism devised to ensure efficiency and quick payments.
The successful payment of all fees including tuition, accommodation, health insurance, resident permit and 12 months up keep allowances in respect of 129 Jigawa state foreign students against 2015/2016 session is highly commendable. It also paid over N140 million for the sponsorship of 60 Jigawa State indigenes to study of medicine (MBBS) in the People’s Republic of China.
This is in line with the policy of the present administration to enhance the standard of education so as to produce competent literate citizens in an equitable manner across the 27 local government areas of the state, who could add value to the state.
Several foreign students were paid their scholarship allowances in addition to the provision of computers to law school students and payment of law school registration fees in order to support the students. To this end, the number of Jigawa indigenes in tertiary institutions across the 36 states of the federation has increased significantly, as the allowances support the students greatly in their studies.
On several interviews with students on the payment, they expressed joy and gratitude to the present administration in Jigawa state for the prompt payment, which encourages learning. The teeming state indigenes, studying in different tertiary institutions in Nigeria and abroad, described the gesture as worthy of emulation by other states, stressing the need for their colleagues to dedicate themselves towards their study to achieve the desired set objectives.
The educational sector under the present administration in Jigawa State is receiving a sound and massive support from the state government, in view of the importance of education as a catalyst to any meaningful development, especially in developing nations like Nigeria.
The cordial relationship existing between the state scholarship board and various stakeholders is, indeed, commendable, especially the supervising Ministry of Education. This has made the service of the borad result-oriented, with a highly talented and intellectual work force.
The board operates an open and transparent administration on any issue that needs to be known by the public so as to keep them informed on the activities of the board as one of the key agencies who contributes greatly towards the development of education.
The payment of allowances to students’ individual accounts has enhanced accountability, risk of movement with heavy money and mandated students to open an account that would help the board to monitor whether the students are attentive to their studies or not.
Meanwhile, credit must be given to the Jigawa State Scholarship Board for the numerous achievements recorded in the last two years. We equally enjoin the teeming students in our tertiary institutions across the globe to co-operate with the board in order to move the Jigawa state educational sector forward. The road to education is rough but the fruit is sweet.
Madobi wrote from Dutse
