The Nigeria Higher Education Foundation (NHEF) is pleased to announce its 6th Annual Scholarship Essay Competition.

This year’s competition aims to provide a platform that encourages Nigerian university students to think critically and strategically on topical issues that are of vital importance to Nigeria’s sustainable growth and development.

In light of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the focus of this edition of the competition is “The Role of Digital Technology in the Nigerian Higher Education System.”

We encourage motivated students from all NHEF Partner Universities to apply and look forward to receiving your entries.

Question:

The COVID-19 pandemic has dismantled global conventions and most notably impacted the activities of higher education institutions. Adapting to a new stay-at-home landscape, global education systems have responded with digitally innovative methods of teaching and learning that will redefine the future of classroom training.

Using relevant examples, critically analyze the role of digital technology in transitioning higher education in Nigeria to a post-pandemic system.

CONTEST PRIZES

• The Grand Prize winner will be awarded ₦100,000, a new laptop, 1 online certificate course*, a 1-year internet subscription** and 1 year of university tuition.
• The First Runner-up will be awarded ₦75,000, a 1-year internet subscription** and 1 year of university tuition.
• The Second Runner-up will be awarded ₦50,000, a 1-year internet subscription** and 1 year of university tuition.

*The online certificate course may not exceed $100 on Udemy, Coursera, Alison or EDX.

**1-year internet subscription estimated at 24Gb on the winner’s preferred mobile network.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

• This competition is only open to students enrolled at NHEF Partner Universities. NHEF will verify the enrolment of each contestant with the University Registrar.
• NHEF Partner Universities include Ahmadu Bello University, Bayero University, Kano, Kwara State University, University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and University of Port Harcourt.
• Previous NHEF Essay Competition & Scholars Program beneficiaries are not eligible to participate in this competition.

ESSAY CRITERIA

Essays must abide by the following guidelines prior to submission:

• Entries should reflect author’s ability to explore and discuss ideas / ethical concepts and demonstrate the conduct of research with a sufficiently detailed summary.
• Only one entry may be submitted per student.
• The essay must include a title page, a bibliography, and a scanned copy of the contestant’s current Student ID.
• The student’s name, university, and registration ID# must appear in the header of each page.
• The essay must not exceed 2000 words. It must be double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman font, and contain numbered pages with one-inch margins excluding the bibliography and title page.
• References in the essay should be included and clearly identified.

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

• Naming convention is as follows: 2021 NHEF Essay Competition – Name of Applicant e.g., 2021 NHEF Essay Competition – Adekunle Ciroma Ahmed.
• Entries must be submitted in PDF format.
• All entries must be submitted via e-mail to essay@thenhef.org by 11:59 p.m. (WAT) on May 28, 2021.

Students are encouraged to  avoid plagiarism, as the essays will be checked for intellectual authenticity. This link contains a helpful guide on how to avoid plagiarism.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

Scholarship and Award prizes will be automatically revoked if the student does not attend an eligible NHEF Partner University. Winners will be announced online and via social media channels (NHEF Facebook account, NHEF Instagram account, NHEF Twitter account, and NHEF Website). Winners will be contacted using information provided during application submission. The NHEF will make reasonable attempts to contact winners following official announcements – failure to claim prizes within 30 days of announcement date and/or unsatisfactory academic standing/academic probation will result in immediate forfeiture.

DISCLAIMER:

Submitted essays will become the property of the NHEF. The NHEF may reprint the essays in its mediums and publications. Appropriate citations will be given to all authors.