From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Gregory Iyke Foundation (GIF) has said it is taking education in Abia State to the next level by launching an education intervention scheme in the State for students at all levels of education.
The NGO in the mean time, it has awarded over 350 university scholarships across the state.
These were disclosed by Sleek Ogwo, Director of Communication and Strategy, GIF in Aba during the official flag-off of the Foundation’s education intervention programme tagged, Prof. Gregory Ibe Education Intervention Scheme (GIEIS).
The event which marked the beginning of the education scheme in Abia South Senatorial District saw the distribution of thousands of exercise books to schools in the six Local Government Areas in the Zone.
Ogwo disclosed that the intervention scheme was in three categories, distribution of textbooks and exercise books to all the schools in the three Senatorial Zones, the award of scholarships from first year to graduation year in the university in some specified disciplines and the online entrepreneurship training conducted by Prof Gregory Ibe.
He informed that in 2022, the foundation would be dealing with over 350 people, adding that some beneficiaries were nominated by some stakeholders in Abia State as a way of assisting the indigent people in their constituents.
“Last year was 120 persons. What informed the University Scholarship Scheme is that Prof Ibe wants everyone to gain education and also into many disciplines that people are not opting for regularly”.
Professor Augustine Uwakwe, the Vice-Chancellor, Gregory University Uturu urged the students to take the opportunity they will get from the scholarship seriously, as education is the best gift one can get.
He however charged the people of Abia State to also appreciate the founder of the foundation whom he described as a gift to the state.
The NGO founded in 1991 by Professor Gregory Ibe, the Chancellor, Gregory University, Uturu (GUU) had been involved in humanitarian services in the areas of education, health, social welfare and youth empowerment.