BlueStream Group pledges 100% scholarship, grants to Nigerian students

A Group, Bluestream Educational Ltd says it is set to offer 100 percent educational scholarships and grants to Nigerian students to further their education at home and abroad. AbdulKareem Ogirima, the Group’s Managing Director spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of an educational fair on Saturday in Abuja. The fair was organised by the group in collaboration with some top universities in Turkey, U.S. U.K., and Canada. Ogirima said that the gesture was part of the Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), adding that Nigerian students were one of the brightest in the world and deserve quality education. He explained that in addition to the scholarships Bluestream Educational Ltd was giving grants to students free of charge no strings attached as long as they are brilliant or show evidence that they deserve such and it is within their budget. “Our resolve, as part of our CSR is to continue to assist students with the needed information on gaining admission, scholarships and sponsorships. “We are indeed proud of the performances of Nigerian students and this is what spurs us to do even more. “We are committed to solving the challenges faced by our students who are seeking admission into various universities around the world. “So far, we have helped over 1,000 students to gain admission, and also assisted a number of them to get scholarships, this we do with our partners in the U.S., Canada, UK, Turkey, and other countries. “This year’s edition will see us give 100 percent educational scholarships to students who perform excellently well in our in-house examinations. “We are in partnership with some Turkish universities including; Sabanci University, Isik University, Istinye University, Istanbul Ozyegin University, Bahcesehir University, to mention a few,” he said. He said the group also offers personalised services based on the student’s budget or academic performance (secondary school transcripts). He added that their services also include; assisting students improve their scores in IELTS Exam organised by the British Council, TOEFL, IGCSE O & A Levels, GRE, IJMB/JUPEB, JAMB, WAEC, Adult Education, etc. Ogirima commended the student loan policy of President Bola Tinubu-led administration. He said that if well-articulated, the policy would go a long way in improving access to education by Nigerians just as it is done in the U.K. and U.S. “For us in Nigeria, we are just starting but at least, we know now that the government is talking about student loans which is the way to go. “The idea will further assist indigent students gain quality education, which is in line with the Federal Government’s policies on inclusive, affordable, and accessible education. “Student loan is not out of place given our current realities and challenges in higher education (HE/FE) pursuit. But it has to be well articulated and domesticated with the government’s sincerity of purpose. “It is a huge investment that should be given all the attention and seriousness it deserves,” he said. BlueStream Group Ltd is a multinational company that focuses its services on Education, Health, Travel, and Hospitality.

Overseas Scholarships: PTDF shortlists 5,000 applicants for 2023/2024 awards

The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) has shortlisted over 5,000 applicants nationwide for the award of scholarships for the 2023/2024 academic session overseas scheme. The Head, Oversees Scholarship Scheme in the PTDF, Mrs. Bolanle Kehinde-Agboola, said this at a selected interview exercise for the shortlisted candidates for MSc and PhD postgraduate programmes. Kehinde-Agboola said that the selection interview was in continuation of the application process which commenced on February 13, 2023, through publications in some national newspapers, inviting qualified Nigerians to apply. According to her, “What is happening here today is the interview for the award of scholarship to Nigerians for the 2023/2024 academic session. “We have shortlisted over 5,000 applicants to partake in the exercise which is going on in the six geo-political zones. “The first criterion is that you must be a Nigerian. For the master’s programme the applicant must be a student of any of the oil and gas fields like engineering, geology, computer sciences, environmental sciences and management. “You must have a minimum of second-class upper in any of these fields for you to be qualified,’’ she said. Kehinde-Agboola said the process of applying for the exercise was that the agency would open the application windows at the end of the year for candidates to apply. She said that the PTDF was an agency charged with the capacity to strengthen and develop oil and gas sector, indicating that the essence of the programme was to train who would bring new innovation into the sector. She added that the aim of the exercise was also to offer the applicants the necessary skills required to function effectively in the industry. “The candidates are sent abroad to study the relevant skills. This scholarship scheme is running in the United Kingdom, while “we also have what is called strategic partnership in France, Germany, Malaysia and China. “This scholarship interview scheme will run for one week nationwide and the number of successful applicants depends on its budget for this year. “The agency has two types of collaborations in this programme, the United Kingdom collaboration and the strategic partnership collaboration.” The head of the scholarship scheme said that the scheme had been existing over the years, adding that the agency had discovered that some applicants do submit fake certificates. According to her, “We have had a situation where someone finished from a university with a third class in Nigeria and came with a first-class certificate from a foreign university that is fake. “We were able to detect such fake certificates, and because of that, we decided to take a further step to ratify the issue by ensuring that this selection runs with integrity and diligence. “This year, we have deployed some equipment that will help us to detect fake certificates. “We will always strive for excellence and make ensure the programme has integrity. “We engaged external experts to review the shortlisted applicants to ensure that whoever is shortlisted is qualified to attend the interview. “After the interview, the successful applicants will emerge and the award will be given to them,” she said. Kehinde-Agboola said that the exercise has been structured to efficiently deal with the high number of applicants and to satisfy federal character stipulations.