NAN-H-88
Scholarship
By Bukola Adewumi
Abuja, Oct. 31, 2016 (NAN) Praxis Catholic e-School, Abuja, has awarded a three-year scholarship to 300 children of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from 14 camps in Abuja and Nasarawa State.
Mr Ben Onwudinjo, the Proprietor of the school, said this at the news briefing on the implementation of the Presidential Initiative on rebuilding the North-East on Monday.
He said the gesture was to demonstrate the school’s zeal and support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s effort to rebuild the North-Eeast.
The proprietor said that officials of the 14 IDP camps made available a list of 300 brilliant but indigent students from Junior Secondary one (JS1} and Senior Secondary one (SS1) from Yobe and Borno states.
Onwudinjo said the selection was based on Praxis request to enable the school to admit the students for the scholarship.
He said that the scholarships would commence on Dec. 9, adding that on completion of studies, they would return to the North-East as special ambassadors to help in facilitating the healing and rebuilding of the states.
“As already inspected by the Presidential Committee on North-East initiative, we have made arrangements for full boarding for them.
“Books, clothing, medicals, classes, tuition fee and part of their feeding and sports, among others, have been made available for the period and they will resume classes as from December 9.
“During holidays, the students will be taught self-reliance skills and given start-up funds at the end for those who may wish to be on their own, while others will be assisted to go for further studies.’’
Onwudinjo said that the scholarship scheme would be monitored by the Presidential Committee on North-East Initiative.
He urged the Federal Government to include the school on its free feeding programme for public school students for the sake of the 300 students.
“During our technical sessions with the Presidential Committee on North-East, we requested them to consider the 300 children we are admitting into scholarship as a special case ,by taking off part of the cost of their feeding.
“The school will in turn pay 50 per cent of their feeding for 3 years. If the Federal Government refuses to feed them, the school will still continue to feed them,’’ he explained.
Also speaking, the Vice Chairman of New Kuchingoro IDP camp, Abuja, Malam Usman Adamu, called for government support, adding that such gesture had never happened since they got to the camp.
He expressed happiness to be back to school, adding that he would be admitted into SS1, while calling on Nigerians to support the Praxis initiative.
Also speaking, Patience James, an IDP from Borno said that she was happy to be going back to school, adding that since she got to the camp, she had been yarning to return to school but Abuja school was too expensive.
“My parents are poor; they cannot afford sponsoring me to school in Abuja because things are too expensive here. I am happy now that I am going back and my gratitude goes to Praxis Catholic e-school,” she said. (NAN)
BOL/OIF/NKO
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(Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo)