The Kwara State Education Trust Fund (Kwara-ETF) has awarded full secondary school scholarships to 12 brilliant pupils from public schools—its first set of beneficiaries since the Fund’s establishment.

The development was described by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as a “dream come true” for him and the people of Kwara, less than two years after the initiative took off.

Created through a 2021 legislation and managed by trustees largely drawn from the private sector and community stakeholders, the Kwara-ETF has received steady support from philanthropists and corporate organisations.

Speaking at a brief orientation programme for the awardees, Governor AbdulRazaq stressed that education funding should not be left solely to government. “We urge members of the public to also donate and adopt students. Don’t just leave the responsibility to the government and the PTAs (Parents Teachers Associations). Educating our children is our collective responsibility,” he said.

He emphasised the need for broader engagement in public school funding. “Education belongs to all of us. It is our business. But we have seen over the years that governments alone can’t fully fund education. We need to engage through other means. We have, therefore, gone through the education trust fund to fill in the gaps. What you have seen here today is a module where some students were selected through a very rigorous and transparent process to benefit from scholarship.”

The Governor commended the integrity of the process, adding: “I am truly excited that these pupils are from humble backgrounds. They did not cut corners to make the list. They were chosen through a transparent process. This is just the beginning. We will keep tracking them to the university level.”

Executive Secretary of Kwara ETF, Oluwadamilola Amolegbe, explained that the 12 recipients emerged from an initial shortlist of 640 top-performing pupils. “We started the selection process by setting exams for all the primary six pupils who were beneficiaries of the digital literacy programme of KwaraLEARN. And we got 640 top performing ones, out of whom we first selected 180 pupils. After sponsoring them for the NCEE exams (National Common Entrance Examination), we selected twenty per cent of them (36 pupils) who performed well. Then, we picked the top performers among them, cutting from across the local government areas, and who also got admission into unity school.”

Programme Manager Zainab Abdulsalam reaffirmed the office’s commitment to the long-term vision of Kwara ETF. “These are our pupils, who, we believe, represent the face of an average Kwaran. They are here having this opportunity to get amazing exposure that leads to unlimited opportunities for them. We intend to track them, monitor their performances, and make sure that at the end of the day all the investments that Kwara has made in education through KwaraLEARN, Kwara ETF and Ministry of Education are paying up in tangible ways that we can see, not just in numbers but by the success of the students.”

One of the parents, Maxwell Kolawole from Ekiti Local Government, expressed gratitude, saying the scholarship had lifted a heavy financial burden off his shoulders. “This is truly a pro-masses initiative, and we are grateful to the Governor and his administration,” he said, commending the transparency of the process