We just concluded the selection process for our 2024 scholarship scheme and the shortlisted candidates for the award has commence official registration and acceptance of the scholarship. Seeing the smiles and excitement on their faces make our effort worth a while. We look forward to adding to the growing list of our scholarship beneficiaries.
Giving back to the society is an innate dream of the founder of IG Aguowo Health and Academic Foundation Ichie (Ozo) Ignatius Aguowo. When he was asked about his motivation to start the foundation, his reply was that poverty is a direct outcome of lack of education, in his words “for you to be successful and for you to impact a life, you need education”. Education can be formal or informal, the absence of either leads to poor decision making and lost opportunity which results to a redundant future.
A news article published by Vanguard news on May 29, 2024 reported that according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria has risen to 18.3 million. This alarming figure, positions Nigeria as the country with the highest number of out-of-school children globally. This current trend is attributed to various factors including in adequate evidence-based policies, limited budget allocation, teacher and classroom shortages, poor infrastructure, cultural norms, health and safety concerns, and child labour.
Considering wealth quintiles, research carried out by UNICEF shows that the rate of students who dropout at primary-level in Nigeria increased from 2% in 2011 to 6% in 2021 while that of the richest wealth quintile shows an increase, rising from 1% in 2011 to 4% in 2021. This pattern suggest that compared to decades ago, the educational system in Nigeria faces challenges in retaining students and ensuring their continued education across all the regions and the problem persists in the North-East and North-West[i].
The above statistics proves that the educational system in Nigeria needs immediate prioritization to manage the uncanny outcomes that are being recorded. The deputy secretary-general of the United Nations, Haija Amina Mohammed, according to reports, highlighted the urgency of addressing this crisis on international platforms; and called for both local and global stakeholders to prioritize education in their development agendas.
In consideration of these lapses and gap that needs immediate filling, our foundation IG Aguowo Health and Academic Foundation (IGAHAF) commits to breaking educational limitation by implementing programs that enable the accessibility of education to the poor in the society. Our scholarship scheme which covers the 6-geo-political zones in Nigeria, has been our major projects since the inception of the foundation. The project seeks out school dropouts in rural areas, students whose excellent performance projects the country in a good light, and the indigents who have the passion for a brighter future. Our motivation lies in the consideration of the better live and future embedded in education and the costly consequences that ensures, for both an individual and the society, when it is not accessed.
The scholarship scheme which started in 2021 – till date is designed to be a continuous award that sees a child from their current educational level through to the acquisition of a first degree and also covers the health expenses of the child. This all is in a bid to limit not just the financial constraints that limits access to education but the health constraints as well. We recognize education as the bedrock of every nation and a means to achieving economic development and eradicating poverty.
According to the former Minister of Education and co-founder of the Bring Back Our Girls movement Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, there is need to come up with comprehensive strategies that address not only the educational needs, but also the socio-economic barriers preventing children from attending school.
IGAHAF beyond providing scholarship to the less privileged also contribute to the renovation and equipping of school structures, equipping of community school children with basic skills and tips needed to improve their efficiency, offsetting hospital bills of those who cannot afford it, and uploading educational post (infographics and videos) aimed at enlightening both parents and students. Our commitment to achieving a generation of educated leaders who can bring forth change in the society is our service to humanity.
[i] https://leadership.ng/nigeria-has-largest-number-of-out-of-school-children-globally-unicef/
