From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
In her determined efforts to contribute to educational development in Nigeria, an educationist and director, British Spring College (BSC), Awka, Lady Uju Dike, has so far spent over N150 million on scholarships among schoolchildren in the South East and South South geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
Dike, who made this disclosure in Awka recently during the presentation of cash prices and items worth millions of naira to pupils, teachers and participating institutions during the 2022 annual British Spring College Mathematics Competition for Primary 5 and 6 and Lady Uju Dike Scholarship Scheme for children in her own primary school, Springfield Academy, said her reason was to promote hard work and interest in mathematics among pupils.
During the fifth edition of the competition, 10 schools qualified for the final, while the top 35 competitors received certificates for participation and compensatory cash envelopes.
At the end of the competition, Obi Chidalu Michelle from God’s Wisdom International School, Nnewi, Anambra State, emerged the overall best with 82.5 per cent in the BSC mathematics competition category, while Nwechi Zita from Springfield Academy emerged the overall best with 94.25 per cent in the Lady Uju Dike Scholarship category.
The two champions got cash sums of N200,000 and N150,000, respectively, with 100 per cent scholarship, including tuition and boarding fees; their teachers got N150,000 each, while the school got a brand new computer set.
Chibueze Rex of Mount Olive school, Onitsha, and Ikemba Martha were first and second runners-up, respectively, for the BSC Mathematics Competition, while Ehirim Diamond and Offorkile Ifunanya grabbed the third and second positions, respectively, in the Lady Uju Dike Scholarship . Their respective teachers smiled to the bank with N75,000 and M30,000 and the schools got a new photocopying machine and printer, respectively.
Speaking on the sponsorship of the annual competition, Dike said: “Every term, we spend nothing less than N19 million on scholarship. In every class, we have about six children who don’t pay school fees.
“Since 2017 that we started this competition, we have spent over N150 million but it’s something we are not regretting and something we are proud doing because school ownership and management is something one does with passion. So, it’s not about the money but about the impact on the children and the society.
“Every child wants to be the best and that inspires others to also want to be the best. That is the spirit of competition. The pioneer overall best in 2015/16, Onubogu, is really a blessing to this school and we thank God for that. She represented the school in Crux Learning Mathematics Africa meant for all African schools. Over 18,000 African children participated in this competition and she came out as one of the top 18 in the whole Africa.
“They went for the second round and she came out among the top six and, at the final round, she emerged the second runner-up in the whole of Africa, a product of BSC. What other impact is greater than that cheering news?
“We also have another winner who represented BSC in NNPC and came first in Anambra State. The second round of that competition is being awaited.”
Principal of the BSC, Kcent Obi, earlier in his address, said the competition was the brainchild of the director, Dike, which he said, aimed at extending quality education to the talented children whose parents cannot afford the school.
The principal said they don’t attach any sentiment in the process which was while the director introduced Dike Scholarship Scheme, which, he said, was a separate scholarship for students in her school, Springfield Academy, entirely different from the BSC Mathematics Competition for students from other schools.
In a brief speech, the BSC head of administration, Freedom Iwara, explained that life in BSC was competitive, saying that BSC offers meritorious service to nation-building in fairness and transparency.
Winners of the competition, Obi Chidalu and Nwechi Zita, said they will like to be medical doctors in future and pledged to continue to work hard and make their parents and the entire society proud.
Zita’s mother, Mrs. Charity Nwechi, an Onitsha-based businesswoman who was visibly elated, thanked God for making her dream of her child coming to BSC come true.
She eulogised the school’s director for the gesture, which she said was unprecedented.
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