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HDI launches higher education fund for underprivileged students

By Ujunwa Atueyi
25 May 2017   |   4:05 am
To ensure continuous education of the underprivileged children to tertiary level, a non-governmental organisation, Human Development Initiative (HDI), has launched Tertiary Education Trust Fund (HDI-TETF).

Olufunsho Owasanoye

To ensure continuous education of the underprivileged children to tertiary level, a non-governmental organisation, Human Development Initiative (HDI), has launched Tertiary Education Trust Fund (HDI-TETF).

The sole aim of the fund is to help secondary school beneficiaries of HDI scholarships proceed to higher institutions, and fulfill their educational aspirations.

Speaking during the launch at a dinner and an award night organised to mark the organisation’s 20 years of serving humanity, the Executive Director, Mrs. Olufunsho Owasanoye, said there are about 39 orphans and indigent students who have passed out from secondary schools and performed excellently, but have no funds to further their education.

She said it is on this premise that the organisation is soliciting for support and collaboration with good spirited individuals, corporate companies and public institutions, to enable the affected students further their education without hitches since government alone cannot provide the need of all its citizens.

She explained that the HDI-TETF, is a subsidiary foundation of HDI formed to support the education of less privileged children, offer educational scholarships to children of widows, orphans and widowers who cannot afford the basic needs, as well as help reduce the number of street urchins.

Guest lecturer at the occasion, Prof. Oka Obono, who delivered the HDI 20th public lecture, titled: “The structural management of inequality: Pathways to inclusive growth and development,” observed that there are many dimensions of inequality in the country which some modern structures in the society promote.

To bridge the inequality gap, Obono suggested the need to adopt a different kind of outlook both at the state and individual levels. “The country must adopt policies that are pro-people, pro-poor, pro-progressive and pro-active. If we do not have policies and approach to governance, learn how to manage one another, seek to reduce poverty, which is actually the main cause and predictor of inequality, then it will simply remain and the society cannot make progress.”

He also noted that there should be broad-based investment in education since it is the major means through which the nation can achieve sustainable development.

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