FG to send 100 first class graduates to top world varsities

Posted by admin Latest Politics Friday, May 25th, 2012

y: JULIANA TAIWO-OBALONYE, Abuja

Date:

Fri, 05/25/2012 – 14:29

President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, swore in the presidential committee on award of post graduate scholarship to First Class graduates with a mandate to send 100 of them to top 25 universities in the world and prepare them for the role of transforming Nigeria in future.

According to him, the best brains are to be selected in the areas of sciences, engineering, economics and expose them to the best facilities available in the world. He said the Federal Government was starting with 100 because, adequate arrangement for funding was not made in the 2012 budget. He said, the number would increase when, “we make budgetary allocation for it in 2013.”

President Jonathan said, part of the mandate of the committee is to, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education travel to negotiate for positions in the top 25 universities in the world. “The idea is that for you to benefit, you must have a first class. It is based purely on merit, no quota. We are giving opportunity for first class brains. We are going to spend money, so, we need to tap a little of what they get, so in the first five years, they should work as lecturers or researchers.” “This idea is for our best brains to form the core of human tools that would drive the sustainable transition for this country.

“We need to transform this country because, wherever you go, the expectation is quite high on us as Nigerians, they believe Nigeria is a leading country in Africa and for us to maintain that status, for us not to depend on the oil production because we have other countries that produce more oil than us and for us not to depend on population because when you have large population you cannot manage, it is even negative.

“For us to maintain that position as a leading African country and transform this country, we must do things differently, we are to have tools, the human tool is critical, a human tool that is well educated. We are committed to change the educational system from the primary school to the tertiary level. President Jonathan described as embarrassing, the information from the executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission that, about 60 per cent of the academic staff in Nigerian universities do not have Ph.D, adding that, that is not good enough.”

In his response, the Chairman of the Committee and NUC Executive Secretary, Professor Julius Okojie promised that the committee would create a mass of knowledgeable individuals that would drive the economy.
-Sun
He decried a situation where some universities prepare only multiple-choice exams. He said such situation discourages students from reading.wp_posts