FG urged to provide scholarships for science students - Achievers VC

Vice Chancellor of Achievers University Owo, Prof.
Adebayo Odebiyi, has called on the Federal
Government to provide scholarship for students
in the tertiary institutions studying science and
technology-related courses in order to encourage
more youths going into the field.

Odebiyi, who gave the call while briefing
journalists on the forthcoming second
convocation of the university, said the
government should show commitment to
technological development of the country by
deliberately encouraging the study of science
and technology in the universities.
He spoke against the background of the low
number of graduates from science-related
courses when compared with those from other
faculties.

He said science and
technology studies involved
more time and huge sums of money, but
scholarship would encourage parents to point
their wards towards the direction of science and
technology.

“The Federal Government should fund the study
of science and technology. There should be
scholarship for students going into science and
technology either in private or public universities.
“No country can truly develop without science
and technology. As a way of encouraging science
and technology, it is the policy of Achievers
University management to give 50 per cent
tuition scholarship to students studying science
and technology-related courses in the school,”
Odebiyi said.

According to him, there has been a steady
increase in the number of students applying for
science and technology courses over the years
because of the policy in the school.

He said the issue of funding had been a major
challenge, which is the contention between the
Academic Staff Union of universities and the
Federal Government, noting that the university
had successfully handled the problem by taking
one step at a time.

He, however, said the threat by the supervising
Minister of Education, Nyseom Wike, to sack
members of ASUU was impracticable.