ASUU: Appeal court to rule on varsity lecturers strike Friday – Newstrends
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ASUU: Appeal court to rule on varsity lecturers strike Friday

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The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja will tomorrow (Friday) rule on an application filed by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, seeking a stay of execution of the ruling of the National Industrial Court ordering the union to end its ongoing strike.

The three-man panel of the appellate court, led by Justice Hamma Barka, stated this on Thursday.

This came after James Igwe, counsel to the Federal Government, and Femi Falana, counsel to ASUU, had told the court that an out-of-court resolution had not been reached.

Falana, SAN, had after the case was called up, notified the appellate court that his client filed an application for permission to formally lodge an appeal against the interim injunction that directed the striking varsity lecturers to return to the classroom.

Though ASUU earlier filed its proposed 14-ground of appeal, however, its lawyer, Falana, SAN, noted that going by the provisions of section 243 (3) of the 1999, as amended, leave of the appellate court would be required for such appeal to gain validity.

ASUU maintained that its proposed appeal against the NIC order, was based on “grounds of law and on grounds bordering on fundamental human rights”.
Falana urged the appellate court to accede to ASUU’s request to enable it to challenge the order he said occasioned grave miscarriage of justice against the aggrieved varsity lecturers.
“This honourable court should not shut out the Appellant and thousands of its members desirous of ventilating their grievances pursuant to section 6 (6) (b) and 36 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended,” Falana stated.
He also said his client was willing to withdraw the application for stay of execution so as to expedite the hearing and determination matter.
Meanwhile, the FG’s lawyer, Igwe, SAN, said he was opposed to ASUU’s application, even as he urged the appellate court to dismiss it for want of competence and jurisdiction.
The FG’s lawyer drew the attention of the court to the fact that the striking lecturers were yet to obey the order of the industrial court that was made since September 21.
He argued that ASUU, being in contempt of a subsisting court order, could not seek any favourable decision from the appellate court.
“As at today, ASUU is in contempt of court. It is illegal for ASUU to remain on strike in the face of the industrial court order.
“Section 18(1) of the Trade Dispute Act does not allow a party in contempt to come before Court of Appeal with the type of ASUU’s application”, Igwe submitted.
He also prayed the appellate court to dismiss ASUU’s request for leave to appeal against the order of the NIC that it had yet to obey, adding that it was late for the application for stay of execution to be withdrawn since all the parties have already joined issues.
After the panel had listened to both sides, it adjourned the matter till Friday for ruling.
It will be recalled that the appellate court had earlier urged both FG and ASUU to explore an out-of-court resolution of the dispute that made varsity lecturers to embark on a strike action since February 14.
The NIC had in its ruling, ordered ASUU to call off the over seven-month old strike action in national interest and for the sake of undergraduates in the country.
It ordered the striking lecturers to return to the classroom, pending the determination of a suit FG filed to query the legality of their strike action.

 

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US University opens 2025 scholarships for international students

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US University opens 2025 scholarships for international students

Montana Technological University (Montana Tech) has opened applications for its 2025 scholarships, offering international students the opportunity to pursue graduate studies in the USA.

These scholarships, available for both Master’s (MS) and PhD students, provide a tuition waiver and a competitive stipend for living expenses.

Scholarship overview and opportunities 

Scholarship Region reports that Montana Technological University is offering funded Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs) for Fall 2025. These assistantships are available for students applying to the MS and PhD programs, and they provide an opportunity to work alongside faculty on important research projects.

The university is focusing on key research areas such as advanced materials and manufacturing, critical mineral recovery and processing, environmental remediation, and biotechnology. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply soon to contribute to these cutting-edge fields.

Eligibility requirements 

To apply for the Montana Tech University Scholarship 2025, candidates must meet several criteria.

  • Applicants should have completed a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university.
  • They must also meet the admission requirements for the program they wish to apply to and satisfy the English language proficiency requirements set by the university.
  • Additionally, applicants must submit their applications for admission by January 1st to be considered for the scholarship.

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Benefits for scholarship winners 

Students who are accepted into the MS or PhD programs at Montana Tech and are awarded a Graduate Research Assistantship will receive significant benefits. These include a

  • Tuition waiver and a competitive stipend to cover living expenses.
  • All applicants to available graduate programs will automatically be considered for the assistantships.

Required documents for application 

Details inform that candidates applying for the Montana Technological University Scholarship must prepare several documents as part of the application process. Required documents include the;

  • Application form,
  • A personal statement,
  • A CV, recommendation letters,
  • TOEFL or IELTS scores, GRE scores, and official academic transcripts.

These documents as mentioned, are crucial for the admissions review and scholarship consideration.

Step-by-step application process 

To apply for the scholarship, candidates are informed to first visit the graduate research fields page on Montana Tech’s Graduate School website. From there, they can apply for openings in the available research areas and complete the application form.

All required documents must be uploaded as part of the application. For more details and guidance, prospective students can contact the Montana Tech Graduate School at [email protected], where they will be connected with a faculty member leading a funded project.

 

US University opens 2025 scholarships for international students

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Canadian university offers funded national scholarship program for 2025

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Canadian university offers funded national scholarship program for 2025

Western University has announced that applications are now open for the National Scholarship Program for the 2025-2026 academic year.

The opportunity offers funding to outstanding students with a proven track record of academic excellence, leadership, and community involvement.

According to Western University, the deadline for applications is February 14th, 2025.

Details of the program and eligibility 

The National Scholarship Program is aimed at Canadian citizens and permanent residents, as well as international students meeting specific criteria. International students who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents are eligible for the International President’s Entrance Scholarship.

Details inform that applicants must have an overall academic average of 90% or higher from their Grade 12 courses (or equivalent) and must apply for full-time studies at Western University’s main campus. Students must also be nominated by their high school.

Scholarship opportunities and amounts 

The program offers various scholarship opportunities based on academic achievement and extracurricular involvement.

  • The Neen Hodgins National Entrance Scholarship awards $80,000 over four years, while,
  • President’s Entrance Scholarships range from $50,000 to $70,000, depending on the amount of funding available.
  • For black students, the James Jenkins President’s Entrance Scholarship offers $50,000, and the Beryl Ivey Continuing Entrance Scholarship provides $92,000 over four years.

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International students have access to scholarships such as the Neen Hodgins President’s International Entrance Scholarship, valued at up to $80,000. Other awards include the Faculty Entrance Scholarships, valued at $30,000, and the National Merit Awards, which provide $2,000 for students who are interviewed but not selected for a National Scholarship or a Schulich Leader Scholarship.

Application requirements 

Applicants must submit a variety of materials, including a completed online application, a transcript from their school, and a reference letter from a teacher or staff member who is familiar with their academic and extracurricular achievements.

Additionally, applicants are required to write a 1,000-1,250 word essay on an issue of public concern. The essay, along with other supporting documents, must be submitted by the February 14th, 2025, deadline.

Nomination and assessor process 

The institution informs that in order to be considered for the National Scholarship Program, students must be nominated by their school. The application includes a “Nomination Request Form,” which is sent to the school administrator once completed.

Students are told to ensure that they follow up with their school to confirm that their nomination and transcript are submitted on time. Additionally, students must request one reference letter from a teacher or staff member who can assess their academic performance and involvement in extracurricular activities.

How to apply 

To apply, students need to access the National Scholarship application through the online portal, using their OUAC reference number and date of birth.

  • Western University advises that there may be a delay between submitting the admission application and being able to access the scholarship application, with a minimum wait time of five business days.
  • Once available, students can complete the application and submit all required documents before the assigned deadline.

For further details on how to apply, visit the Western University National Scholarship application portal.

 

Canadian university offers funded national scholarship program for 2025

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Student loan: More applicants hopeful as NELFUND credits accounts

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Managing Director of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr

Student loan: More applicants hopeful as NELFUND credits accounts

More students across several tertiary institutions in Nigeria are optimistic of benefiting from the next batch of disbursements of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Weekend Trust gathered.

The NELFUND, established by the Students Loan Act 2023 is managed and administered by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) through the money deposit banks. It aims to facilitate the mobilisation of funds to provide interest-free loans to students of tertiary institutions.

Beneficiaries are expected to begin a repayment process of 10% of their salary to be deducted at source two years after the completion of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), while self-employed beneficiaries are required to remit the same of their monthly profit.

Established by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration as a means of providing financial support to students for tertiary education, the management of NELFUND said it has so far disbursed N11,047,793,949.80 billion to 105,764 beneficiaries across 98 federal and state tertiary institutions.

The disbursement of funds is made directly to the institutions bank accounts while successful applicants are entitled to a monthly stipend of N20,000 for upkeep if they so wish.

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Weekend Trust reports that in August, the NELFUND had released data that showed significant regional disparities in the registration, application and disbursement of funds with the South-east recording the lowest figure.

Netizens on X had accused NELFUND of neglecting universities in the South-east but the Fund refuted the claim, saying the management of tertiary institutions in the South-east had failed to respond to verification requests forwarded to them.

North-west leads in disbursement, South-west in institutions

The latest data released by NELFUND on November 7, shows that the South-west has the highest number of beneficiary institutions with 27 currently getting disbursements. This is followed by the North-west which has 18 institutions while the North-east has 16 and the South-south has 15 institutions. The North-central and South-east have 11 institutions each.

On the number of students by zone, the North-west has the highest number of students with 43,378 followed by North-east with 28, 782 and the South-west with 12,539. The North-central has 11,555 beneficiaries while the South-south has 5,837 and South-east has 4,073.

The breakdown of the funding by zones, also shows that the highest of N4,424,024,250 billion was paid to the 18 institutions in the North-west, followed by the16 institutions in the North-east which got N2,544,223,937 billion, then the 27 institutions in the South-west received N1,842,876,713billion. The 11 institutions in the North-central got N1,099,808,700 billion, while the15 in the South-south got N597,250,030 million and the 11 institutions in the South-east received 539,610,320 million.

 

Student loan: More applicants hopeful as NELFUND credits accounts

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