By Abubakar Yunusa
The Nigerian Society of Engineers, Bwari Branch, in collaboration with the Babatunde Julius Ayinla Foundation, has paid the common entrance fees of 16 pupils of LEA Primary School, Gwarinpa, Abuja.
The gesture, carried out to mark World Engineering Day, was also aimed at encouraging the pupils to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics subjects in secondary school.
Speaking during the presentation of a N120,000 cheque to the beneficiaries on Tuesday, the Branch Chairman, Engr.Funbi Babatunde Alonge, said the intervention was targeted at supporting less privileged families.
“We are paying N120,000 for 16 students today. We came to support them and encourage them to embrace STEM courses at the higher level,” she said.
Alonge explained that the initiative was part of the association’s yearly outreach across schools within its catchment area.
“We have been here before. Two years ago, we visited this school. They reached out to us again that some pupils could not afford their common entrance fees, so we decided to assist,” she added.
Beyond the payment of fees, she said the group would return on March 11 to mark International Women’s Day with hygiene education for female pupils and the distribution of sanitary pads.
Reeling out the broader objective of the outreach, Ayinla called on government at all levels to prioritise investment in public education.
According to her, the theme of this year’s World Engineering Day, ‘Smart Engineering for a Sustainable Future through Innovation and Digitalisation’, underscores the urgent need to equip public schools with modern facilities.
“We should not treat LEA schools as inferior to private schools. Government must provide computers and other digital tools so that public school pupils can compete favourably,” she said.
She further disclosed that the foundation had identified infrastructural gaps in the school, particularly poor toilet facilities.
“We noticed that they don’t have a good toilet system. We plan to rehabilitate it to promote hygiene and stop open defecation. A healthy environment is important for learning,” she said.
