Governor Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State has announced a new policy granting free university education to female students who score nine credits in their senior secondary school examinations.
He made this announcement on Wednesday while meeting with the parents of the first 21 students to benefit from this initiative.
Fintiri described this policy as part of his campaign promise aimed at promoting female education and reducing social vices. He emphasized the importance of educating girls, stating, “There’s a direct correlation between lack of education and criminality.”
During his reelection campaign, Fintiri promised that one female student with nine credits or more from each of the 21 Local Government Areas would receive a scholarship. However, the policy has now expanded. “Now it’s no longer restricted. Any girl who scores nine credits and above is qualified to attend any public university in Nigeria with our scholarship,” Fintiri said.
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The governor directed the Acting Executive Secretary of the state scholarship board to start selecting the next batch of female candidates, emphasizing that this program should be ongoing. “We must educate our girls because they’re the future mothers,” he said.
Additionally, Fintiri announced plans to incorporate entrepreneurial and vocational skills into the secondary school curriculum as part of his administration’s human capital development policy.
Expressing satisfaction with the recent performance of Adamawa State students in the senior secondary school exams, Fintiri credited the success to his government’s decision to cover examination fees. “I’m glad to announce that Adamawa came second to Abia in the last WAEC (West African Examination Council) examination. This happened because of our decision to sustain the payment of the fees to relieve the parents of the candidates,” he added.