A 17-year-old boy, Muslim Adewale, who graduated from Birch Freeman Senior High School in Surulere, Lagos, has achieved the best result in the 2024 May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) within the entire Lagos Education District Six and has been awarded a scholarship.
The boy, who also scored 302 out of 400 in the recent Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) reported many candidates failed, was presented with the award on Monday during this year’s annual merit awards and honors organized by Education District 6, Lagos State, for school administrators, teachers, other school staff, and students in the district, which comprises the Ikeja, Mushin, and Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Areas.
The scholarship prize amounts to half a million naira and was provided by God’s Covenant Church of All Nations, Ikeja, as part of its commitment to support indigent members of the community.
Muslim is a science student who achieved 6 As, including Mathematics, along with 1 B3 and 2 C4 in the school-based examination.
He is currently awaiting admission to the University of Lagos (UNILAG) in Akoka to study Computer Science.
Interestingly, his father, Mr. Rasheed Adewale, is a commercial bus driver, while his mother, Mrs. Rasheedat Adewale, is a petty trader who sells pure water in front of their house.
Muslim expressed his excitement about the prize, telling the Nigerian Tribune in an interview that he was surprised to receive it.
“The organizers only called me on the phone and asked me to dress formally without informing me that I would be receiving an award based on my WASSCE result,” he said.
Muslim stated that the scholarship money comes at a time when he was unsure how his parents would raise his required fees at UNILAG once he is offered admission.
“But with this N500,000, my parents will be greatly relieved,” he noted.
Muslim explained that although both his parents did not go beyond secondary school, they value education and are willing to forgo food and nice clothes to ensure he and his elder sister, who is an undergraduate at Lagos State University (LASU) in Ojo, receive a good education beyond secondary level.
He thanked his parents, the organizers of the award, and the award sponsor, noting that his dream is to become a computer scientist and make a positive impact on the community.
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