Two important things that makes online scholarship application irresistible

• First advantage the overall process of online scholarship applications is extremely cost saving for anyone. You would neither have to purchase a set of expensive application forms nor send them by post nor submit them by hand.

• Second advantage of online scholarship applications is that they are extremely accurate. Since the online form would not accept data except in the proper format, there is almost zero chance that people would provide inaccurate information. Since the process is completely automated, you can easily get feedback if your form was properly submitted.

E.g an engineering student would not be able to fill a scholarship application that is art oriented.

Robert Ikazoboh

Managing Director, Dragnet Solutions Limited, Robert Ikazoboh gave the advice during the “One Awardee, One Award” roundtable discussion organized by the firm for the International Oil Companies (IOC) operating in Nigeria. The event which was recently held in Lagos had in attendance representatives from the various concerned IOCs such as Mobile, Chevron, NAOIC/AGIP, NLNG as well as NAPIMS.

In his keynote presentation titled “One Awardee, One Award”, Ikazoboh bemoaned the popular practice among students where an undergraduate is a beneficiary of multiple scholarships from either the same or similar IOCs scheme, an act which he condemned and described as a “theft of opportunities’. He also noted that if left unchecked, it could give rise to other forms of malpractices.

According to him, a multiple awardee of Oil and Gas Industry based scholarships deprives a countless number of indigent undergraduates who are in dire need of such sponsorship, an equal opportunity to be beneficiaries thus, defeating the intended purpose for the establishment of the scheme by the IOCs.

The Dragnet boss identified the inefficiency of the manual processing method deployed in the verification of candidates’ profiles, absence of a sensitization campaign and strict enforcement among others, as some of the factors responsible for the high prevalence of the act among awardees.

However, Dragnet Solutions-the leading Screening Solutions firm in Nigeria- in response to the need to find a lasting solution to the menace has taken the initiative and developed a centralized portal for scholarship and bursary management called Scholastisca.

The Scholastisca portal builds and stores the profiles of candidates applying to the various Oil and Gas Scholarship Schemes on a database through biometric technology thus ensuring that no candidate has multiple profiles. The hallmark of Scholastisca is that each candidate is given a unique Identification after thus ensuring that an awardee can only benefit from one Oil and Gas scholarship.

While acknowledging that the issue of multiple scholarship is a moral one, the various participants at the event who have at one time or the other been victims of the act, applauded Dragnet Solutions for its innovation which they believe would go a long way in tackling the issue and ensure that as many less privileged students benefit from their Corporate Social Responsibility activity for disadvantaged undergraduates. They however agreed that there is a need to work out the modalities of the proposed solution especially with NAPIMS.

In his closing remarks, Robert Ikazoboh thanked and appreciated the participants for their presence and support but hinted that the success of the initiative is dependent on the collaborative effort among the IOCs.

Scholastica, Nigeria’s first e-based scholarship and bursary solution will bring a major improvement in the disbursement and administration of scholarships and bursaries in the country.

This was revealed by Funmi Ajayi, the Head, Scholastica, during the computer-based testing (CBT) screening exercise of the 2013 Agbami University Scholarships Scheme.

The Agbami University Scholarships Scheme, which is being managed by Scholastica, is funded by Star Deep, an oil and gas exploration company in Nigeria. About 9, 000 students were shortlisted for the screening which was held in 10 states across the federation.

According to Ajayi, who monitored the exercise at the Port Harcourt center, Scholastica has made the process of the administration and disbursement of the scholarship less cumbersome. “When we say that Scholastica is the final word in scholarship and bursary management in Nigeria, we are not just making empty boasts. Imagine what would have happened if the Agbami Scholarship Scheme had to rely on manual screening for the millions of applicants who applied for it. With Scholastica, all they had to do was apply online and within minutes, the system sorted out and collated the list of eligible applicants. The students you see here in Lagos, as well as the others taking the exams in other parts of the country, were drawn from the portal specially created for the Star Deep Scholarship,” Ajayi explained.

She noted that the biometric verification process deployed by Scholastica completely eradicated incidences of mercenaries and ghost scholarship beneficiaries. In her words, “With the help of our data capture and other biometric tools, we were able to match the applicants who applied online with those who physically turned up for the exercise. The system completely eradicates incidences of mercenaries who write examinations on behalf of others. We also have a reliable database which identifies past beneficiaries; so it’s impossible to have past beneficiaries benefiting from the same scholarship.”

While commending Star Deep for awarding scholarships to university students across the country, Ajayi called on both public and private institutions to emulate the gesture by deploying Scholastica in order to make the process less cumbersome. “You really can’t imagine the impact a scholarship scheme such as the Agbami University Scholarship will make in the lives of the beneficiaries. However, the process of awarding such scholarships can be a very cumbersome one.  That is why we are calling on Scholarship Boards and organizations looking to use scholarships as a means giving back to the society to deploy Scholastica in order to make the process faster, less cumbersome, more efficient and credible.”

Scholastica is a proprietary product of Dragnet Solutions, Nigeria’s foremost computer based testing and talent management firm

Robert Ikazoboh

Technology has been identified as a key element that will bring value and help develop the education sector in the country,particularly in examination administration.

Mr. Robert Ikazoboh, the MD, Dragnet Solutions, owners of the Face Of Testing, Nigeria’s first indigenous computer based testing solution as well as Scholastica, a leading e-scholarship and bursary solutions in the country, made the remark during a media parley in Lagos.

According to Ikazoboh, the deployment of technology will engender the speedy growth of the education industry. “We can’t begin to talk about moving this country forward without focusing on the education sector. The fact is that the sector is the warehouse from which the brains that will move the country forward will emerge from. And in this jet age, we must do all we can to bring the sector up to speed and we need to do this using cutting edge technology,” he stated.

Ikazoboh made special reference to the Computer Based Testing (CBT) initiative, which he described as the future of examination assessment in the country, while he also called on Nigerians to accept the CBT option being introduced by the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) in its examination.

“By now, this country should be adopting CBT in virtually all of our educational institutions especially the secondary and tertiary institutions. We simply can’t go on with the Paper To Pen (PPT) mode of assessment in this country. Imagine the cumbersome task the teachers face especially when they have many students to attend to. With CBT, the results of tests are ready just as the candidate concludes the examination and there is no need to physically handle the scripts.” he stated.

Ikazoboh also called on public and private sector scholarship and bursary awarding institutions to use technology as a platform in disbursing scholarships and bursaries. This, he stated, will make the process more credible and efficient.

“While most private and public institutions are striving to contribute their quota to the education sector by awarding scholarships and bursaries, we must ask ourselves how impactful the process has been. More often than not, we see individuals getting two or more scholarships or bursaries while other deserving and eligible individuals are left out. That is sad. But by going the technology route, we can manage scholarship and bursary disbursement such that ghost recipients as well as multiple recipients become a thing of the past. For instance, you can use biometric technology which simply entails identifying individuals with their distinct properties like fingerprint while deploying the scholarship. That will surely bring efficiency and value to the system,” he stressed.

Ikazoboh assured that Dragnet Solutions is poised to contribute its quota to the development of the education sector by offering top class technological solutions which will solve the myriad of challenges facing the sector. “Dragnet Solutions appreciates the important role that technology should play in the education sector and that is why we are bringing in cutting edge technology. We already have Face of Testing, which is our own computer based testing solution and the product has made a huge impact in the market. Don’t forget that it is Nigeria’s first and the only indigenous CBT product today. In addition to that, we also have Scholastica, which is also the first and only E-scholarship and bursary management solution and the product is in high demand especially from some of the top scholarship awarding companies in the country. Indeed, Dragnet Solutions is committed to contributing her own quota towards the development of the education sector through our cutting edge technological solutions,” he concluded.

• You travel kilometers to submit application forms
• You spend thousands of naira you don’t have to mail them
• Your applications get lost in the mail
• Even when you make it through your Invitations get lost in the mail
• And then you couldn’t find one person to lay you complaint to without writing to your whole state

Like they say change is the only thing that is constant and well because it is important that your scholarship process is as seamless and stress-free as possible. It is our priority to ensure you get an objective chance at biding for the scholarship.

But first your application must get to the awarding body. Step two the process must be faster and transparent so you get to really enjoy the benefit of the award. This can only happen with the adoption of E-applications.

Now

• You can apply from anywhere, no need to travel long distances
• Monitor your application via your emails and sms
• Get feedback from your potential awarding board
• Update your application profiles from any where
• And be more confident that your application will get to the awarding body

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According to Mr. Robert Ikazoboh, the Managing Director of Dragnet Solutions, SBMS will change the face of scholarship and bursary management in the country. “The SBMS was created to address the frustrating problems that both private and public institutions face when awarding scholarships and bursaries. Issues like multiple scholarships and bursaries awarded to the same individual, scholarships and bursaries awarded to non-existing persons, delays arising from the processing of applications from applicants and other bottlenecks combine to make scholarship and bursary management a problematic affair in Nigeria,” he said.

In Mr. Ikazoboh’s words, SBMS would make the process more efficient and less time-consuming. “We intend to make the entire process of scholarship management more efficient for our clients, whether they are government institutions or corporate bodies. The data-based management process will be far easier to handle because we will electronically process the applications, which will eliminate the cumbersome task of physically handling application forms and reduce the turnaround time needed to shortlist qualified candidates irrespective of their number,” he stated.

Ikazoboh explained that the SBMS will also make the scholarship and bursary awards management a transparent process. “With the SBMS, incidences of multiple scholarship awards and ghost awards will be a thing of the past. The system will be transparent because we will employ biometric solutions for the identity of awardees. The combination of digital photo and finger print records using advanced finger print matching technology will ensure that the awardees cannot enter the system twice. The finger print records, as well as photo records, are tied to the awardees’ profile at the database level and that makes the entire system credible.”

Going further, Ikazoboh reiterated that the SBMS will make provision for computer-based-testing in instances where the award process is merit-based. “Where the scholarship or bursary award is merit-based, the SBMS will provide a solution which delivers tests/assessments to the candidates using our network of computer based examination centres that deliver instant results. The beauty of the system is that the tests could be administered in the test system or the candidates can take it in the comfort of their homes. The SBMS also operates an integrated SMS/Email communication system that enhances the notification and feedback mechanism,” he noted.
While calling on the private and public sector to buy into the product, Ikazoboh pointed out that some multinational companies in Nigeria have already started utilizing it to manage their scholarship and bursary requirements. “As we speak, SBMS has already kicked off in many places. Reputed multinational companies, including the MTN Foundation, Agip (NAOC), Chevron and ExxonMobil are going the SBM way. Currently, we are discussing with some other companies, with the aim of bringing them on board,” he concluded.