The newly inaugurated Abia State Scholarship Board has invited applications from interested and qualified candidates, especially students and civil servants of Abia State origin for undergraduate and postgraduate scholarship programmes in Australia.
The Board Chairman, Ambassador Empire Kanu disclosed this during the maiden press briefing of the Board. He said that the scholarship is for those who intend to study at the University of Newcastle and the University of New England, Australia. The Board informed that details of the information on how to apply would be found on www.abiastatescholarshipboard.org and stressed the need for candidates to apply quickly as those for the first enrollment would leave for Australia by January next year.
Ambassador Kanu who revealed that the Abia State government is subsidising the scholarship programmes for each of the candidates to the tune of 50 per cent while the Universities bear the remaining percentage, stated that a minimum of 100 candidates per year would benefit in the scholarship programme that would last throughout the administration of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.
The Chairman explained that the postgraduate programme is for civil servants in the State who are not more than 50 years old or more than 25 years in the civil service. He commended Governor Okezie Ikpeazu for his love for education which made him enter into a partnership with the two Australian Universities which made it possible for the scholarship.
Contributing, some members of the Board, Professor Sam Agu, Dr.(Mrs.) Schama Malik Egbuta and Dr. (Mrs) Nnenna Anyanwu informed that the courses to be done would be more of Information Technology and science-based and would enhance the development of the State.
They equally disclosed that apart from the abroad scholarship, the Board would soon come up with modalities for scholarship within Nigeria.
Recall that the Board was inaugurated by the Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu on 5th of this month.
