BURSARY

The termly bursary

A small, needs-based grant paid each term to pupils in public senior secondary, science and technical schools, so that a family in difficulty does not withdraw a child who is doing well. Nominated by the head teacher, means tested, and free to apply for.

What the bursary is for

Tuition in a public school in Kano State is free, but a senior secondary pupil still needs a uniform, transport, examination stationery, a laboratory coat and, in a technical college, trade materials. Those costs are what push a family under pressure to take a child out of school in SS 2, usually a girl and usually within a term of a bereavement, an illness or the loss of a livelihood.

The bursary answers that. It is a termly grant, paid to the pupil's guardian through the school, that meets the ordinary costs of staying in school. It is decided on need, it is small, and it is quick: 20 working days from the head teacher's nomination to the payment.

It reaches pupils in public senior secondary schools, science secondary schools and technical colleges, and it is funded from the Scholarship and Bursary head of the education budget with contributions from local government councils. The termly award list for each school is posted in the school and lodged with the local government education office.

Bursary or scholarship?

They are different instruments with different tests. A pupil awarded a scholarship gives up the bursary, and the place passes to the next nominee.

	Bursary	Scholarship
What it covers	The ordinary costs of staying in school for one term	Tuition and maintenance for the full duration of a course
Who it reaches	Pupils in public senior secondary, science and technical schools	Students in senior secondary, technical and tertiary institutions
Decided on	Need first, with a satisfactory attendance and conduct record	Merit and need together, with published cut-offs
How you enter	Nominated by the head teacher after a means test	You apply yourself when the call is published
Duration	One term. Re-nominated each term while the need continues	The normal duration of the course, renewed each session
Value	₦15,000 to ₦25,000 a term, by window	Tuition plus a maintenance allowance, by sponsor
Turnaround	20 working days from nomination	60 working days from the close of the cycle
Cost to apply	No charge	No charge

The four windows

A pupil is nominated into one window. Where more than one applies, the head teacher nominates into the one with the higher value.

General need

₦15,000 a term

For a pupil whose household has lost its main earner, or whose family income falls below the means-test threshold. The largest of the four windows and the default where no other applies.

Girl-child window

₦18,000 a term

For girls in SS 1 to SS 3, and particularly for those returning after leaving at transition. It runs with the girl-child education initiative and carries a transport component in the rural local government areas.

Orphan and vulnerable window

₦25,000 a term

For a pupil who has lost one or both parents, is in the care of a guardian who is not a parent, or lives with a disability that adds to the cost of attending. Evidenced once and reviewed each session.

Science and technical materials

₦20,000 a term

For pupils in science secondary schools and technical colleges, meeting the cost of trade materials, laboratory consumables, an overall and safety boots that a general school does not require.

The means test

The head teacher gathers this evidence before nominating. It is a short exercise, not an investigation, and the school keeps the papers.

Household income, evidenced by a pay slip, a letter from an employer, or an attestation from the ward head where the household lives on trading or farming.
Number of children of school age in the household and how many of them are currently in school.
Death certificate or a sworn declaration, where a parent has died.
Medical evidence, where illness or disability in the household is the ground.
Attendance of at least 75 per cent in the preceding term, from the school register.
A conduct record free of any suspension in the preceding term.
The pupil's admission number and the guardian's identification.
Guardian's bank account details, in the guardian's own name, at one of the accredited banks.

How a head teacher nominates

Nominations open in week two of each term and close at the end of week four.

The school identifies candidates

The head teacher, with the form teachers and the school-based management committee, identifies pupils at risk of dropping out. A parent or a pupil may also ask to be considered, in writing to the head teacher, and the school must consider the request.

The means test is applied

The head teacher completes the means-test form for each candidate with the evidence listed above, ranks them by need, and signs the list. The school's quota is set by its enrolment and published at the start of the term.

Nomination is filed

The head teacher files the ranked list through the school account, with the evidence attached. Nominations filed after the close of week four are held over to the following term.

The local government education office verifies

The office checks the pupils are on the enrolment return, checks the attendance figures against the register, and spot-checks a sample of the household evidence.

Approval and payment

The zonal office approves within 20 working days of the nomination and payment is made by transfer into the guardian's account. The award list for each school is posted in the school and lodged with the local government education office.

Re-nomination the following term

A bursary is a termly award. Where the need continues, the head teacher re-nominates in the next term with a short review rather than a fresh means test, and the pupil keeps the place while the need lasts.

How the bursary goes wrong, and what to do

No fee is payable to be nominated, to be verified or to be paid, and no share of a bursary may be taken by anybody. A head teacher who asks for a portion, or who nominates a relative outside the ranked list, is dealt with under the public service rules and the school is inspected.

Payment is by transfer into the guardian's own account, never in cash and never through a third party. If a bursary is approved but not received within ten working days, report it to the local government education office and through the feedback form, quoting the pupil's admission number.

The award list is public. Ask to see it: it is posted in the school and held at the local government education office, and a nominee whose name should be on it and is not may ask the zonal office to review the ranking.

Questions parents and head teachers ask

Can a parent apply directly?

A parent asks the head teacher in writing to be considered, and the school must consider the request and record it. The nomination itself is made by the school, because the means test relies on attendance, conduct and enrolment records the school holds.

Is a pupil in a private school eligible?

No. The bursary is for pupils in public senior secondary, science secondary and technical schools. A pupil moving from a private school to a public one becomes eligible from the term after the transfer is registered.

How is the school's quota set?

By enrolment, weighted towards schools in local government areas with lower transition rates, and published at the start of each term. A school may nominate more names than its quota; the surplus is carried to the following term in the same order.

What if the guardian has no bank account?

The local government education office helps open one at any of the accredited banks. Payment waits for the account, but no bursary is ever paid in cash or to another person's account.

Does the bursary continue in SS 3?

Yes, while the need continues, and the third-term award in SS 3 is paid before the WASSCE and SSCE season so that it can meet the costs of the examination period. The State pays the entry fee itself for candidates in public schools.

Can a bursary be stopped?

Yes, where the pupil leaves the school, where attendance falls below 75 per cent without a reason the school accepts, or where the evidence supporting the means test proves false. The guardian is told the ground in writing.

Where does the money come from?

From the Scholarship and Bursary head of the State education budget, with contributions from local government councils for their own indigenes. Amounts released each term appear in the budget performance report.

Talk to the head teacher this term

Nominations open in week two and close at the end of week four. A pupil at risk of leaving school is worth a conversation before the term is out.