By Brown Chimezie
In its continued bid to provide a comprehensive educational solution to Nigerian and African parents seeking to place their children in reputable institutions abroad, Goldenway Educational Services (GWES) recently organized a seminar, in partnership with MacEwan University, Edmonton Canada.
The seminar in Lagos aims at exposing Nigerian students to the opportunities at MacEwan University and the steps to apply for admission to the institution.
Flagging off the event, Dr. Solesi Abayomi remarked that the experiment was billed to happen in Nigeria because Goldenway, with Mrs. May Maduka, who is behind the vision, has been in the business for more than two decades.
He said that Maduka has done this as a teacher in the North and South-West geopolitical zones before moving to the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States of America for the same job.
He said, “She has been able to connect to several institutions abroad. The reason her own is different from the pack in Nigeria is because of her experience in the business over the last 27 years.
“Most times, when you want a child to travel, it is either you want to empty the family purse or you are looking for people that would assist you, which may not be possible. And then you take a wrong decision such as looking for a relationship with a fat bank account, which doesn’t work on many occasions. These are some of the things we want to address with this kind of meeting so as to correct them.
“We also intend that the prospective participants to the event will not just go online, which is the trend, to search for MacEwan University, but have a one-on-one interaction with their representatives. Today, scammers build websites of renowned institutions abroad to defraud innocent Nigerians without admission letters to the students.”
Abayomi disclosed that 99 per cent of institutions looking for students from Nigeria charge an exorbitant fee before offering admission to prospective students but this is where MacEwan is different.
“With a minimum of 1,000 USD down-payment, you get your admission letter, which forms part of your tuition fee, and then proceed with your visa. Thereafter, you pay your tuition.”
He revealed that Goldenway’s boss, Mrs. Maduka, has engaged the university in respect of this, and when the students are admitted, they will not pay their tuition in two installments like other institutions demand but in four installments.
“In other words, it is an unparalleled opportunity you should take advantage of, which will rub off on others around you,” he told the students.
A representative of MacEwan University, Veronique Kamly, said, “At our university, we have people, who can assist students extend their stay, if you have to. We have state-of-the-art facilities at the university. Jobs are there after graduation with a diploma or degree.
“There is also free health insurance and other social benefits. And you can do menial jobs while still schooling. All you need to do is to apply for a post-graduation work permit. If you love Canada so much and choose to stay, you are eligible to apply for permanent residency. Our school will be there to guide you from the very beginning until you graduate.
“We are happy to be here to talk to you in person. After 14 hour journey, it is very exciting. We have excellent entry scholarships for qualified students. If you have an 80 percent final grade for admission into our programme, you have 4,000 USD in scholarships. This is a starting point. If you have higher than that, you get more. Recently, we gave 10,000 USD to two students in medicine from Nigeria.
“If you want a scholarship, you have to work harder, you don’t have to apply for it. If you qualify, we give it to you automatically along with your area of acceptance. So increase your CGPA, and get your scholarship. We have certificate, diploma and degree programmes. The normal thing is to start with a diploma or degree. But if you start with a 2-year diploma, work, and become a permanent resident, at that time if you are not happy with a diploma and you want to have a degree, you can go and come back to finish your years 3 and 4. It is another way to work to raise your tuition fee and come back again for your degree programme. So long as you finished with credit in your diploma, you can come back for your Bachelor’s degree,” Kamly said.
She disclosed that admission in Canada was quite simple compared to the United States of America where you sometimes need an interview and an essay. Said her; “In Canada, we look at grades number 10-12, WAEC, and NECO which will be confirmed by the office of the registrar. If you fulfill the requirements, then you are good to go. In applying you are expected to choose two programmes. Bachelor of science in medicine and Bachelor in nursing for instance so that if you couldn’t make it in medicine, nursing becomes easily available. It will not be a waste of time because nursing is very competitive in Canada.
Dean of the School of Business, Prof Ali Taleb said that Canada appreciates diversity because they expect people to think differently. He said “92 percent of MacEwan graduates are employed while 20 percent have moved on to pursue other studies. We have a lot of Nigerians in that group.”
He said that many students, who apply to the school find jobs easily when they graduate, adding, ‘’our university is one of the tops in the world. Many of our students are exposed to the world of business, while still schooling such that when they graduate they are already having their resume at their fingertips. Also, 60 percent of my students are already in the business of writing and publishing while 20 percent are ready to serve.”
While taking the students through tests they need to gain foreign admission, the manager of Goldenway Educational Services, Austin Ezike dwelt on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
He said that IELTS examination is popular, adding that between TOEFL and IELTS, some close to four million candidates write these examinations annually.
According to him, 2.3 million people write TOEFL while more than 1 million write IETS, which indicates how popular these examinations are.
“When you come to the Goldenway, you will be assisted to achieve higher band scores. IELTS is measured in band scores and it goes from 1-9. So 1 is the lowest, and 9, is the highest band score that one can make.
“So, if you can seize the opportunity provided by Goldenway Educational Services to prepare yourself for these examinations, you are certain of success. As long as you are thinking of studying abroad, you are going to go through these examinations.