The Government of the United States of America is seeking to have more Nigerian students study in American tertiary institutions.
This was made known during the formal opening of the EducationUSA Centre at the American Space on Friday in Calabar, Cross River State.
Speaking during the inauguration of the Centre, Aruna Amirthanayagam, Country Public Affairs Officer, US Embassy, Abuja, disclosed that EducationUSA is an arm of the US government promoting education in the USA.
According to Amirthanayagam, there are about 4,500 educational institutions in the USA, making it one of the greatest educational destinations in the world.
He said, “We really want more Nigerians to come and take part in our educational system. Through our EducationUSA Centre in Calabar, we hope to have more students from Cross River going to the US to further their education.”
Stephen Ibelli, public affairs officer, US Consulate-General Lagos, said the centre helps to facilitate the movement of Nigerian students to tertiary institutions in the USA.
Ibelli said through arrangement, no fewer than 14,000 Nigerians had gained admission into schools in the US.
He said: “At present, we have over 14,000 Nigerian students studying in the US and we hope to grow that number and further strengthen the ties between both countries.
“This is where the EducationUSA Resource Centre comes in. So, we urge the residents of Cross River to visit the centre and learn about the educational opportunities in the US free of charge.
“We are also opening centres in Benin, Awka, Enugu to provide these information, so that students don’t have to travel all the way to Lagos, Abuja or other big cities.”
In his remark, Godwin Amanke, Cross River State Commissioner for Education, said the state was proud to identify with EducationUSA.
Amanke said the state would take advantage of the centre to ensure that its students get firsthand information on scholarships and empowerment programmes.