The Katsina State Government says it has completed payment of outstanding scholarship allowances worth N1.9 billion to 136,175 indigent students studying in various tertiary institutions across the country.
The State Deputy Governor, Malam Faruk Lawal, stated this at a press briefing on the achievements recorded by the administration under the education sector on Friday in Katsina.
, which he said, “is a corner stone of the administration’s vision”.
He said that the allowances were given to the fresh students and continuing students of tertiary institutions for between 2020/2021 and 2023/2024 academic sessions.
The deputy governor also said that Gov. Dikko Radda had also approved the engagement of first class degree graduates on permanent and pensionable appointment.
He added that an academic excellence award was introduced, all in its efforts to encourage students performance.
According to him, a total of 210 tertiary institutions’ students with Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) ranging from 3.5 to 5.0 were recognised and awarded with certificates, plaques and N50,000 cash each.
He further emphasised that the administration made a giant stride in the area of Tertiary Education, where the Department of Higher Education was upgraded to a full-fledged Ministry.
“That was because the government recognised education as the key to sustainable development,” stressing that the administration had been prioritising and delivering quality education to the people of the state.
The deputy governor explained that higher institutions in the state have equally been receiving adequate attention leading to improvement of conducive atmosphere of learning in their campuses.
“At Umaru Musa Yar’adua University (UMYU), the government had expended the sum of N314,605,500 to restore adequate electricity supply.
“This is in addition to the provision of solar security lights at the cost of N98,246,064 aimed at enhancing security at the campus and promoting sustainable energy solutions within the University,” he said.
The government, he said, had also expended N135.9 million as accreditation fee for various programmes at its tertiary institutions in 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 academic sessions by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
He also noted that the government renovated students’ hostels, radio and television studios of the Department of Mass Communication at the Hassan Usman Polytechnic, Katsina.
Lawal further said that the government supported staff development and training, and provided financial assistance to conduct Annual Public Lectures and International Conferences.
He noted that the administration spent N43.9 million for accreditation of degree programmes at Isah Kaita College of Education, Dutsin-Ma and payment of affiliation fee with Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, in this year’s academic session. (NAN)