The European Union (EU) has urged 135 young Nigerians awarded postgraduate scholarships to top European universities, under its flagship educational programme, ERASMUS+ to be good ambassadors of Nigeria in Europe.
The Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Samuela Isopi, gave this charge while delivering her remarks during the pre-departure orientation event held for the successful Nigerians in Abuja on Wednesday, even as she advised them to make good use of the opportunity.
The EU envoy noted that the figure places Nigeria on the number one spot among beneficiaries of the EU postgraduate scholarships in Africa within the past five years and among the top five globally, stressing that Nigerians will study various disciplines in different EU countries and others such as Turkey, Serbia and the United Kingdom.
The EU bloc in recent years has been ramping up support to academia through the EU’s key funding programmes: Erasmus+ in the higher education sector and Horizon Europe for research and innovation.
The programmes aim at strengthen the education system, increase the use of digital technology for teaching, learning and system management, and mainstream green skills by investing EUR 45.4m in total between 2021-2027 in the education projects.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Andrew David Adejoh lauded the EU for the invaluable contribution the programme has so far made on Nigerians particularly in “nurturing academic excellence and cultural exchange for mutual benefits.”
He admonished the beneficiaries to pursue their dreams with much resilience and enthusiasm and make themselves worthy of being “global citizens” through this inter-cultural and educative programme.
Erasmus+ offers many opportunities apart from its flagship scholarship programmes: it supports mobility and short stays in Europe for researchers, students and staff, capacity-building of universities and TVET institutions through joint projects with sister European institutions, etc. Horizon Europe offers opportunities for Nigeria-based researchers and research institutions, in particular through the “Africa Initiative II”, which is addressed to African scientists.
The EU Head of Delegation also noted that Nigeria will host a “Study in Europe Fair” in Nigeria’s two biggest cities of Lagos (October 28) and Kano (October 26) to enable prospective Nigerian students to explore the opportunities of higher education in Europe. The events will also serve as a platform to match-make Nigerian higher education institutions with potential EU partners, in collaboration with the diplomatic missions of the EU Member States in the country.
“The Study Fairs, which will be open to the public, will also provide opportunities for exchange of experiences and information, and for networking for Nigerian students, academics, parents and professionals who are actively interested in studying in Europe,” the EU said.
The postgraduate programmes will run for 12-24 months, and will see each beneficiary studying in universities in at least three different universities in as many countries during the duration of the programme. Each scholarship recipient will, on successful completion of the programme, receive a master degree to be jointly awarded by a consortium of universities, in the framework of the EMJMD programme – a key component of Erasmus+.
The students were selected from over 15,000 applications through a very competitive selection procedure coordinated by the participating consortia of universities. The applications are open to candidates from all parts of the world. The EMJMD programmes are high-level integrated study programmes, delivered by an international partnership of higher education institutions.
