Worried by the plight of the less privileged and physically-challenged Akwa students in various tertiary institutions in the state, Governor Umo Eno has approved N100 million Education Intervention Fund (EIF) as a bailout scheme for the affected students.
Eno announced this when he granted audience to the University of Uyo (UNIUYO) chapter of the National Association of Students with Disabilities (NASD) led by the president, Comrade Emmanuel Wisdom, on courtesy visit at Government House, Uyo.
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Announcing the intervention, Pastor Eno, who also announced the appointments of two of the students as personal aides on education matters, said that he was moved by the passion to give the student body a sense of belonging to underscore the political inclusion drive of his administration.
He mandated the Offices of Accountant-General, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Ministry of Education as well as Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare to supervise the disbursement of the funds by ensuring that “school fees are paid directly to the schools of the beneficiaries and allowances given to the students after due profiling.”
He warned against bureaucratic bottle necks in the disbursement of the fund , explaining that the gesture is to encourage them and make life easier for them and maintained that some physically challenged persons are more focused than those with no disability.
He said, “We have set up a fund for the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Women Affairs to manage, the Accountant General would look at it and the SSG would facilitate it. We will deposit one hundred million naira into that fund immediately to support all disabled or physically challenged students in the public tertiary institutions for disabled Akwa Ibom students and those residing around here.
“That money is set aside for them. The Ministry of Women Affairs and Ministry of Education will verify that the beneficiaries are in school and pay school fees directly to their schools, then give them a little allowance to keep them in school until graduation.
“From time to time we may augment it but for now we will put it there. The Ministry of Women Affairs will ensure that they profile them properly so that they make sure they benefit from it. All you need is an approval to open maybe a joint account and the money will be kept there as you profile and finish the SSG will authorize payment.
“I don’t want the bureaucratic bottle neck of them applying and there is no money so we put the money there for you to manage and give us the report but please let’s verify and make sure this are the right people and encourage them. This idea is to encourage them and make life easier for them. At least if they want to go to school, let’s pay their tuition because they are doing very well and even better than some us that say we are not challenged.”
Besides, the governor announced a cash donation to one of the disabled students Mr Udeme Emmanuel, in addition to a monthly stipend to aid his participation in the law school and assured him of automatic employment in the Ministry of Justice on his completion of the course.
“I believe that if the physical challenged ones among us love to go to school we must support them, for Mr Udeme Emmanuel, who is leaving for law school, we will support him and pay monthly allowance for his upkeep and give him automatic employment in the Ministry of Justice immediately he is through with the law school,” he stated.
Two of the students, Emmanuel Wisdom and Ubong Imoh Ikpe, was appointed personal assistant on student matters and personal assistant on students with disability, respectively.