Girl-child education gets a boost: Primary schoolgirls bag scholarships

…To study science, technology to varsity level
…Emir Sanusi wants stakeholders to collaborate for poverty eradication
The Association of Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) has awarded scholarship to 10 girl-students of Kofar Kudu Primary School, located inside the Emir of Kano’s palace to study science and technology from primary to university level.

President of the association, Engr. Felicia Nnenna Agubata, said the association had deemed it fit to empower primary school girls to study engineering right from primary school in order to help them build career on technology.

Speaking at the event, which took place at the school premises, Engr. Agubata noted that there was lack of women engineers in Nigeria, especially northern Nigeria.

Agubata added that was the reason the association decided to inculcate the passion of the profession in the minds of the girls from the grassroots.

According to her, there was the need to empower girls right from the young age with the aim of encouraging them to become future engineers.

She said: “The aim of this programme is to ignite passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in the mind of young girls.

“This will help them showcase the socio-economic value and application of engineering in the day to day life.

“There is also the need to catch the girl child right from the young age with the aim of encouraging them to become future engineers in order to build a career in this regard,” she added.

The president maintained that the association was working assiduously in creating awareness for the girl-child in a bid to make them embrace engineering courses as a career.

Agubata stressed that the 10 selected girls from Kofar Kudu Primary School would be awarded the scholarship with the aim at moving the sector forward.

She urged parents and stakeholders to encourage schoolgirls to study engineering, science and technology in order to become future engineers for the socio-economic well-being of the country.

In his remark, the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, explained that available records showed that 50% of the poor people in Africa were living in Nigeria hence the need for all stakeholders to collaborate efforts in ensuring that poverty was eradicated in the country.

He appealed to government at all levels to expedite action in curtailing the challenge.

He also commended the association for the initiative, pointing out that the effort would provide succour to women, who were mostly prone to poverty in the country.