The Ekiti State government has reaffirmed commitment in the payment of bursaries and scholarships to students under the State’s Scholarship Board.
Executive Secretary, Ekiti State Scholarship Board, Mrs Bukola Faluyi stated this in Ado-Ekiti during the interactive S’etigbo multicast powered by the Bureau of Community Communications.
She said that the board has digitalized the registration and verification processes for seamless exercise adding that the Scholarship Board was established with a clear mandate to support students in tertiary institutions and ease their academic journey.
Her words: “Over the years, the purpose of the Ekiti State Scholarship Board has not only remained intact but has also been significantly strengthened under the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji. The bursary award, which was originally ₦10,000, has now been increased to ₦20,000 through the Governor’s gracious intervention. Likewise, the scholarship grant, previously ₦60,000, has been raised to ₦80,000.”Governor Oyebanji also approved new scholarship packages for Master’s and PhD students; ₦250,000 and ₦750,000 respectively. These improvements reflect a strong governmental commitment to excellence in education at all levels.
“Unlike many states where bursaries and scholarships are reserved for only final-year students, Ekiti State begins its support from the 200 level. In fact, secondary school students who demonstrate outstanding performance in their final examinations (WAEC/NECO) are often awarded full scholarships to cover the rest of their academic programs, an initiative designed to reward diligence and inspire others.”
While appreciating Governor Oyebanji for creating an enabling environment for the board to thrive in the discharge of their duties, Faluyi emphasized that the digitalization of their activities has come to stay. “Students across the globe can apply through digital platforms. This will checkmate even students traveling from far away places to come and submit papers. When they apply online, we at the board will do the needful and verify. It prevents students from traveling down to Ado-Ekiti to submit their papers.
“In 2023, bursary applications were still being processed manually, a method that inadvertently excluded students studying in distant institutions. In response to this, the Governor approved the digitalization of the process to make it more inclusive and accessible. This strategic move led to a record-breaking number of applications, close to 500,000, during the most recent cycle.
“The digitalization has come to stay. I am very grateful to the Governor for giving us the enabling environment to strive and make our work easier and to the Commissioner for Education.” She added.
On his part, member of the Ekiti State Scholarship Board, Hon. Gabriel Ogundele explained that the administration of Governor Oyebanji under the scholarship board is working assiduously to sustain efforts in prioritizing the needs of Ekiti students across the globe.
His words: “With the support of the governor, the board is really impacting on the students by releasing substantial amount that covers whatever that is validated and registered online.
“This actually assist students in a little way, especially the scholarship, even the bursary goes all-round. It is not limited to performance alone but it cut across everybody in higher institution. Once you are verified, you will benefit from the bursary.
“The scholarship is on merit to motivate others to perform better in their academics. In the fiscal year, we are still working on the applicants and validation exercise is still ongoing. All the Ekiti students that are qualified for it are being processed. The governor is ever-ready to release the money once the validation is complete.”
