EDUCATION
Power
to
read
8
By Nashon Owano
“E
ducation is the only tool
which you can use to
change the world” The late
former South African leader Nelson
Mandela was quoted as saying. The
statement overlays the importance that
education has in shaping the direction
and future of individuals.
The value of education cannot be un-
derestimated in the changing new era of
globalization that is in need of individuals
with professional skills. The importance
of education drew the attention of the
United Nations General assembly that it
was adopted to the resolution in Sep-
tember 2015. According to the docu-
mentation education has been included
in the list Sustainable Development
Goals to be met the year 20130. In
the growing need to provide edu-
cation to all, many institutions of
learning have sprouted in virtually all
corners over the world. The distin-
guishing trait in all these institutions
of learning is the quality of education
and the affordability of the programs
in the respective institutions. Even
with the number of educational
institutions most people are still not
able to afford tertiary education. As a
result most tertiary institutions have
set up a series of programs to help
need y students afford education.
USIU-AFRICA for instance has 6
categories of scholarships on offer
to needy students. The scholar-
ships are categorized into Graduate
Merit awards, work study programs,
External funded scholarships and
grants, institutional scholarships
and government student aids. The
scholarships are need based and
education based. For instance, the
Work study program gives students
the opportunity to work on campus
and attend classes at the same time.
At the end of the Semester the
student is given credit hours that are
translated to school fees. The pur-
pose of such financial programs is to
ensure that students are able to stay
in school and pay their school fees.
The need to finance college in the
United States is not any different as
in Kenya. The American University
located in Washington DC has also
set aside distinct financial aid offices
to deal with the grow-
and Frederick Douglas
ing need to help
Scholarship. In total
needy students
all these financial
get Campus
aid programs
“Education
is
the
only
education.
receive an
tool which you can use
The financial
average of
to change the world”
aid office at
30,000$
Nelson Mandela
American
(3Million).
University
The underlying
estimates that it
similarity in the
spends $85M (85B)
financial aid pro-
dollars on scholarships to
grams between the two
undergraduates in the school. Upon
universities is the fact that in both
admission all students are eligible
of them equal consideration is given
to financial aid. By their time of
to International students. This sets
admission students are eligible to
out to show how education can be a
AU Presidential scholarship, Amer-
powerful tool in promoting intercul-
ican University dean’s scholarship,
tural interaction in the world.
American Leadership scholarship
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