In a bid to shore up school enrolment and eradicate out -of -school children from the system, the Ekiti State Government, has awarded scholarships to 50 indigent pupils and students, covering their education from primary to tertiary cadre.
The life and career-enhancing scholarships were awarded under the Special Renewal Back-to-School Scholarship Programme, organised by the Windows and Orphans Hope Support Foundation (WAOH), an initiative of the wife of the Ekiti State Governor, Prof Olayemi Oyebanji, in partnership with Premium Bank.
The beneficiaries, who were majorly orphans and children from poverty-stricken backgrounds, further received school and household items like: textbooks, notebooks, lockers, sandals, blankets, beds, bedsheets, towels, pants, covers, mosquito nets, touch lights, buckets, chairs and signets.
The beneficiaries in secondary schools received ₦90,000 each for school fees and ₦10,000 for upkeep per term, while those in primary schools received ₦25,000 each, alongside ₦10,000 for upkeep, despite the free and compulsory education policy of the present administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji.
Addressing the beneficiaries, Governor’s wife, Prof Oyebanji, said the gesture was designed to complement the administration’s efforts in the education sector, alleviate poverty, ease the burden on less privileged families, support disadvantaged citizens and expand the scope of the shared prosperity policy of the current administration.
Represented by the Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs.) Monisade Afuye, the First Lady, stated that the programme was designed to secure a bright future for indigent children and promote a vibrant society through unlocking the citizen’s potentials through the instrumentality of education.
“Since the assumption of office, a lot of interventions have been carried out in bringing the ideal of the scheme into fulfilment, such interventions include periodic support for widows, indigents, women, the aged, indigent school pupils and the physically challenged.
“The scholarships would cover the beneficiaries’ education from primary school to university. The children were not only being given access to education but also the opportunity to pursue their dreams without the burden of financial constraints”.
Prof Oyebanji, who restated the commitment of Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s administration to sustaining quality and affordable education in Ekiti State, said the state, which is widely known for its educational heritage, could not afford to allow any section of its population to remain uneducated.
She urged the people of Ekiti to take advantage of the free and compulsory education policy of the state government to improve their lives, stressing that education remains a powerful tool for breaking the cycle of poverty.
Earlier, the Coordinator of the WAOH Project under the Office of the Wife of the Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kemi Dairo, explained that 31 pupils from primary schools and 19 students from secondary schools benefited from the scholarship programme.
Dr. Dairo also announced another intervention approved by the Governor’s wife to further improve the welfare, discipline, monitoring and academic performance of the beneficiaries.
She disclosed that out of the 50 orphans on scholarship, 19 secondary school beneficiaries were being transferred to boarding schools, where they would receive proper care, guidance and an environment conducive to effective learning.
Dr. Dairo charged the beneficiaries to make the best use of the opportunity, obey their teachers and school authorities, and strive to become worthy ambassadors of the foundation and Ekiti State.
In her goodwill message, the Ekiti State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Olabimpe Aderiye, urged teachers, particularly principals, to prioritise thorough supervision of the students, ensure quality learning and sustain academic excellence.
The Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Prof. Femi Adewumi, also called on stakeholders in the education sector to work together to ensure that the beneficiaries grow into responsible, educated and productive citizens.
He described the initiative as a reflection of the motherly love, compassion and unwavering commitment of the Governor’s wife to the welfare of widows, orphans and vulnerable children in Ekiti State.
Professor Adewumi said the intervention was not only changing lives in the present but also helping to build future leaders who would contribute positively to society.
He encouraged the beneficiaries to remain disciplined, focused, hardworking and committed to excellence.
In her message, the Commissioner for Women’s Affairs, Mrs. Peju Babafemi, urged parents and guardians not to divert the funds released for the education of the children, stressing that the government was passionate about the education and welfare of children in Ekiti State.
The beneficiaries, who could not hide their joy, expressed appreciation to the wife of the Governor, Professor Olayemi Oyebanji, and prayed for the success of the administration of Governor Oyebanji.
High profile figures at the event were: representatives of Premium Bank, including its Zonal Coordinator, Efe Emefiele; the Director-General, Community Communications; Mrs. Mary Oso Omotosho; the Senior Adviser (Political) to the Wife of the Governor, Mrs. Toyin Adepoju; Permanent Secretaries; Executive Secretaries; school principals; head teachers; and parents of the beneficiaries.