NGO Launches Post-COVID-19 Educational Response Plan for Orphans, Others
Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
A non-governmental organisation, Educational Network Against COVID-19 (ENACOVID), has launched a National Post-COVID-19 Educational Response Plan for citizens affected by the pandemic, especially widows, orphans, former commercial sex workers and youth groups across the country.
Its Executive Director, Dr Ben Onwudinjo, while briefing journalists in Abuja, said the programme targets all groups whose fortunes and possibilities of getting educated might have been adversely impacted by the pandemic.
He revealed that the NGO awarded tuition scholarships to vulnerable women and youths at no cost to the government or the beneficiaries. Onwudinjo noted that the programme is expected to last for 20 years, with the Minister of State, FCT Dr Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, approving a memorandum of understanding for the educational Network Against COVID-19. The federal government screened and released at least 3,000 widows, orphans, ex-commercial sex workers, victims of domestic violence and youth groups to the NGO for training.
The executive director explained that with the support from members of the University of Nigeria Alumni Association, Abuja branch, the NGO had trained them on different skills, which include catering craft, cosmetology, tailoring, driving/mechanics, computer coding/programming, solar power and CCTV installation, among others.
He noted that successful ones would write the Federal Ministry of Education organised NABTEB modular examinations by the first quarter of 2023.
“We also prepared them to sit the Nov/Dec 2022 West African Examinations Council and NABTEB exams, where we paid their tuition and equally paid their examination fees,” said Onwudinjo. “If you come to the exam centre inside Jabi Primary School with Centre number 5020606, you can see at least a hundred of them writing the exams with joy while we have almost 2,900 of them waiting to be registered to enable them to write the Jan/Feb 2023 WAEC external exams.”
He added, “To register the remaining 2,900 candidates for the WAEC 2023 Jan/Feb exam, we need public support to the tune of N52,200,000 since WAEC charges N18,000 per candidate.”
Onwudinjo urged the public to make donations via the NOG’s Access Bank No: 1483500599 (USD Account Number at Access Bank 1667997593) or via bank draft in favour of WAEC.
Onwudinjo stressed that the programme would be extended to all 36 states at no cost to any of the state governments since the FCT pilot scheme recorded a huge success.
