About 500 indigent female undergraduate and postgraduate students of the University of Jos have been awarded scholarships to enhance their academic and leadership abilities in the society. At a colourful ceremony held on December 17, 2010 at the Academic Staff Union of Universities Secretariat of the university, the beneficiaries were issued with the award letters by the Female Support Initiative (FSI) an intervention of the Jos-Carnegie Partnership Committee (JCPC).
Chairperson of the Gender Intervention Team Professor Thomas Bingel disclosed that about 2000 forms were picked by students out of which 824 were screened and 500 were found eligible for the scholarship.
Bingel said only female students with poor financial background and those with outstanding academic performance are considered for the annual award.
He enjoined the awardees to use the money judiciously to support their academic pursuit and not channel it into other irrelevant areas.
Chairperson of Jos-Carnergie Partnership Committee (JCPC), Dr. Patricia Lar said a total of 10 million naira have been earmarked for the scholarship this year to inspire female students to leadership positions in the University and the society at large.
She urged heads of departments to forward the names of outstanding female students in their various departments who need assistance to JCPC for accelerated attention.
A cross section of the awardees thanked JCPC for the initiative and pledged to utilize the fund for their academic pursuits.
The first category of the awardees received N35, 000 each while the second category each got N20, 000.
About 10 notable women academicians were given awards on the occasion by Higher Education Resources in South Africa (HERSA), for their contributions to uplifting the status of women to in the university and Nigeria at large.
Responding on behalf of the recipients the Commissioner for Education Plateau State, Professor Angela Miri, lauded the performance of the JCPC in the university and urged the female students not to relent in their struggle for liberation in a male dominated world.
The recipients of the awards were Dr. Patricia Lar Head, Microbilogy Department and Chairperson JCPC, Dr. Christy Best, Head of Mass Communication Department and Professors Miri, Elizabeth Abama, Charity Anzayi, Jamila Naseer, Vicky Gumut, Irene Salami and Mrs. Josephine Otubu.
By Livinus Ayih
