The University of Calabar has awarded scholarships to 34 high-flying students of the institution in its maiden “Vice Chancellor Scholarship Award Scheme”.

Prof. Florence Obi, the institution’s Vice Chancellor disclosed this while presenting the awards to deserving students at the university’s Senate Chamber on Saturday.

Obi said the scholarship was a response to her investiture speech on Dec. 1, 2020, which she noted in her manifesto to reposition the university in line with global best practices to a foremost ivory tower.

She said with the full knowledge that academic excellence could only thrive in a conducive learning environment, her administration in the last three years concentrated on providing and renovating infrastructure in the institution.

“Having taken time to do the first things first by way of providing the enabling environment to enhance academic excellence, I welcome you to witness the award of a scholarship by the university management to deserving students.

“The scholarship scheme is instituted and sponsored by the university as the Vice-Chancellor Scholarship and is meant for the best students from each of our 110 departments.

“The best students with a Grade Point Aggregate (GPA) of at least 4.00 in the 100 level of every department a beneficiaries of the scheme which attracts the payment of 50 per cent of the charges payable by the student,” she assured.

Obi said the scholarship lasts throughout the studies of the students provided they maintain the highest CGPA in the department which must not be less than 4.00.

She maintained that the implication was that whenever a beneficiary’s CGPA dropped below the 4.00 mark on the scale of 5.00 or the beneficiary failed to come top in his or her department, with a minimum of 4.00 CGPA, he or she stopped enjoying the scholarship.

She explained further that: “When the beneficiary’s CGPA drops, any other student who takes over with a high CGPA automatically becomes the beneficiary, so, the current beneficiaries need to sit up.”

The V-C added that the essence of the scholarship was to motivate students towards academic excellence as well as reward them for their hard work and reduce the financial burden on them and their parents given the current economic realities.

On her part, one of the recipients of the award, Miss Rebecca Igboka, a student of Human Anatomy in the College of Medical Science, said, she was elated at the news, noting that it would motivate her to work harder.

Similarly, another beneficiary, Miss Modesta Onah, from the Department of Radiography, said, she was quite appreciative to God and the institution for the award.

She promised to continue to strive harder despite the pressure to maintain the highest CGPA in the department.

Also, the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Lucky Emonefe, who graced the occasion, said the initiative was inspiring and commendable while calling on other V-Cs to emulate the good initiative to pave the way for other students to benefit.