From Chijioke Agwu,Abakaliki
Enugu Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s administration, through the State Scholarship and Education Loans Board (ESSELB), in partnership with Oxford University (African Society), has unveiled an innovative platform, known as Coal City Fellowship, to enable desirable young minds harness their intellectual potential and achieve life aspirations.
Unveiling the flagship edition of the Coal City Fellowship, ESSELB Executive Secretary, Uche Abonyi, in a joint statement with Nwangele Chukwuemeka of Oxford University (African Society), disclosed the novel mentorship programme in Enugu State, was as a result of the premium the state government placed on quality education.
They explained that the programme “is an exclusive student fellowship that will absorb and work with the most driven young minds from the South East of Nigeria, providing them with information, mentorship, financial and all-around support to take their careers to the next level.”
The statement added that the Fellowship will arm the potential fellows with “T.G.I.’s five spokes of excellence: having a big picture, building yourself, creating social impact, building relationships, and being approachable.”
It disclosed the above concepts would reflect all through the Fellowship and discussions to achieve and provide access to information required for academic success, stressing that the innovative programme “recognises the need to help bright young minds develop because it is crucial to unlocking their potential.”
According to the statement, the Fellowship, in line with its objective, will create an enabling environment for students to gain quality education at any world-class university, adding: “Coal City fellows will have full access to information on globally available academic opportunities.
“We will provide world-class mentorship within students’ areas of interest to help them visualise success in their fields and give them the extra nudge to succeed.”
It revealed that the mentorship will take different forms and involve virtual platforms such as emails, audio, and video calls, provide fellows with information about opportunities in schools, such as scholarships, research, and social enterprise grants, and encourage them to utilise the opportunities.