NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA

UniAbuja awards N5.45m grant to 6 undergraduates for research

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By Uche Bibilari

The University of Abuja (UniAbuja) has presented a total of N5.450 million in grants to six undergraduate students from different departments in the university for research projects.

The Vice Chancellor, UniAbuja, Prof. Aisha Maikudi presented the cheque to the students at the 6th Undergraduate Research Day organised by the Centre for Undergraduates Research on Tuesday in Abuja.

The research day has its theme as: Promoting National Development Through Research.

Maikudi said that the event was an important platform that underscores the critical role of research in driving national development.

She said that UniAbuja was committed to fostering an environment where curiosity thrives, creativity flourishes, and innovation leads to solutions for societal challenges.

“This commitment aligns perfectly with our theme, Promoting National Development Through Research, which calls for purposeful inquiry and actionable outcomes.

“As undergraduates, you are the next generation of thought leaders and change-makers.

“Your involvement in research today prepares you not only for academic excellence but also for contributing meaningfully to our nation’s growth.

“Whether it is in addressing health challenges, advancing technology, enhancing governance, or ensuring sustainability, the solutions to our greatest national issues lie in the quality of ideas that emerge from platforms like this,” she said.

The vice chancellor said that the purpose of the research was not just to acquire knowledge but to transform it into progress for society.

She encouraged all participants to engage actively, collaborate effectively, and think boldly.

Maikudi said the university would continue to sponsor the students, saying there was a need to catch them young.

She advised the researcher to use the money for the purpose which it was meant for.

The VC commended the centre and staff who mentored the students for their dedication to nurturing young minds and providing them with the tools to tackle real-world problems.

Similarly, the Director, Centre for Undergraduates Research, Prof. Taibat Atoyebi said the centre was established to promote research and create opportunities for undergraduate students across all departments in the university.

Atoyebi said the centre has helped students achieve and nurture their research potentials by building and developing their research skills to find solutions to the challenges plaguing the society.

According to her, for a student to be eligible for grant, the student’s research must be original, acceptable, practicable, sustainable and mentored.

She said that the researches were expected to cover areas such as; economic prosperity, food security, educational opportunity, quality health, climate change, environmental protection, among others.

The director said the goal of the centre was to foster growth that would have a lasting impact on our immediate community.

She explained that in preparation for the research day, twenty groups of students expressed interest in the centre’s research grant.

“Thirteen teams were shortlisted to submit research proposals, and were given the opportunity to orally defend their proposals. Six research proposals scaled through and are being presented today.

“A total of N5.45 million is the total grant being awarded. We are currently receiving applications and proposals from interested groups of students for the next batch of grants.

“We have modified our criteria to include sustainable development goals (SDGs), that is our student researches must directly be traced to any of the SDGs and must be able to solve our pertinent societal needs, ” she said.

She said that research output from the proposal of the 6th research would be presented during the 7th research day in the second semester.

She thanked the vice chancellor for her support to the centre and also the mentors for their dedication.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the highlight of the event was the presentation of the cheque to the six researchers. (NAN)

Edited by Peter Amine

Nigerian smart schools get KOICA’s N9.5m grant

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By Sarafina Christopher

Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has awarded N9.5 million in cash grants and laptops to smart schools in Nasarawa, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bauchi, Cross River, Ekiti, and Kano States.

The awards were distributed in four categories to include best smart school, best teachers, best students, and best content which were given during the first best practice conference of KOICA Smart Schools which was held on Dec. 9 and 10 in Abuja.

In a statement made available to NAN on Thursday, Nasarawa Smart School, led by the Principal, Mr Ja’afar Adi and Head Teacher, Mrs Fatima Sani, emerged the overall best smart school in Nigeria, securing a cash grant of N3 million and laptops.

Kano and Bauchi states smart schools followed in second and third places, receiving N2 million and N1.5 million grants along with laptops. Other participating schools also received N1 million in support grants.

In the individual categories, Mr Ruslana Aminu from Kano State was honored as the best primary school teacher, while Mr Liyel Eyo from Cross River won the best junior secondary school Teacher award.

Saminu Shafi’u and Ahmad Shafi’u, both from Kano State won the best student primary and junior secondary schools category.

Cross River smart school was recognised for producing the best content in both mathematics and science subjects.

KOICA Country Director, Mr Son Sungil said that the conference serves as a platform for KOICA-supported smart schools from the aforementioned states to showcase their innovative practices, review school management strategies, and enhance their curriculum operations.

“School principals, head teachers, teachers, and students demonstrated their teaching methodologies, skills in digital content creation, and effective use of storytelling through digital technology,” he stated.

Son also noted that since the launch of its Smart education initiative in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in 2021, KOICA has been instrumental in advancing educational standards in Nigeria.

“KOICA started a smart education project with UBEC, installing modern education content development Studios in 6 smart schools across 6 states, training over 250 teachers, principals and education stakeholders in Korea and Nigeria on smart education,

“Developing Smart education guidelines for school operation and handing over 1,662 educational contents on mathematics and science subjects to smart schools in Nigeria through UBEC.

He also expressed his satisfaction with the project’s outcomes, highlighting its role in enhancing basic education in Nigeria.

Malam Mamoud Muhammed, Director of Technical Services at UBEC, noted that the conference provided an excellent opportunity for both UBEC and KOICA to assess the impacts of the smart school projects across the states.

NAN reports that all the winners received laptops, tablets, and additional incentives for their outstanding achievements.(NAN)

Edited by Halima Sheji

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