The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Prof. Florence Obi, has awarded scholarship grant to 68 students of the institution who have so far scored 4.0 and above in their CGPA.
The colourful event took place on Friday at the Senate Chambers of the institution.
Speaking while presenting the award to the beneficiaries, the VC her administration instituted the VC’s scholarship award to end the ‘read to fail and sort to pass syndrome in the university.
The award which is in its second edition was introduced in the 2023/2024 academic session with 34 recipients who distinguished themselves in their various departments.
The VC said although some people may have wanted the award to be given to indigent students but she intentionally chose to target the best brains in the university to challenge the students to work harder.
“35 years ago when I came into the school, all we knew was to work hard and write our exams but today, when I talk to the students on the need to read, they tell you that only few students who study pass.
“They tell you that generally when you study you fail but when you sort you pass, I intentionally needed to change this new standard,” she said.
Speaking further, she said the award targeted students with 4.0 and above Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) in each of the departments of the institution, adding that there has been an improvement from what was recorded last year.
Why hoping that the number of recipients gets to 100 in 2026, the VC said it would be nice for the award to be sustained but even if it is not sustained, students must learn to work hard because it pays.
On his part, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) Academic, Prof. Tony Eyang, said the 68 students receiving the award had distinguished themselves and must continue to inspire other students.
While commending the VC and management staff, he said the students were part of the legacies of the institution.
Similarly, Miss Ugochi Ogba, the 200 Level student of Business Management with the highest CGPA of 4.92, said she was quite excited for being the student with the highest CGPA.
She disclosed that she was one of the students who stayed awake at night to study, adding that she did not feel intimidated by the boys and hoped to be a resipient of the award in the next academic session.
The scholarship award which was initially meant for first year students was expanded to accommodate other levels to encourage healthy competition amongst all levels in the institution.
In their separate speeches, the beneficiaries commended the VC for instituting the award, saying that her strong commitment towards research and academic excellence had yielded great results.
