Fifty Bauchi State students have been selected to benefit from the state government’s foreign scholarship programme, which will enable them to study in China.
The Permanent Commissioner of the Bauchi State Scholarship Board, Hussaini Saraki, disclosed this during an interview with journalists on Monday.
He highlighted the state’s leading role among North-East states, such as Adamawa, Yobe, and Borno, in providing scholarships for international studies, particularly in China.
Saraki commended Governor Bala Mohammed’s commitment to advancing educational opportunities and fostering global exposure for the youth in Bauchi.
“Over the past few years, Governor Bala Mohammed has been approving scholarships for students to study medicine and other critical millennium courses in Chinese universities,” Saraki stated.
“Approval has been granted, and screening has been conducted for the next batch of 50 Bauchi students heading to China. These students are now in the preparatory stage, working on securing visas, relevant travel documents, and police character clearance,” he added.
Saraki noted that Bauchi was the first state in the North-East region to approve scholarships for studies in China, setting an example for neighboring states.
He further emphasized that Governor Mohammed’s administration had cleared backlogs of unpaid international scholarships for Bauchi students and significantly improved domestic scholarship payments.
“Before Governor Bala Mohammed assumed office, the scholarship paid to students was negligible. For instance, university students received N15,000, but the governor raised it to N22,000, while polytechnic students now get N15,000.
“Given the current economic challenges in the country, the governor is considering further increasing the scholarship amounts to provide more support for Bauchi students,” Saraki said.
The scholarship initiative underscores Governor Mohammed’s dedication to enhancing education and supporting students in achieving their academic aspirations.