Seventeen secondary school students from Nigeria have been shortlisted by the United States embassy in Abuja to participate in the 2017 Youth Exchange Study (YES) scheme.
The study is a one-year academic programme during which each student will be distributed to different schools in the US.
The students will have the opportunity to expand their interests, make new friends, learn about a different culture, and teach Americans some things about Nigeria.
David Young, the embassy’s charge d’affairs, revealed this at the pre-departure orientation in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said: “The programme targets Senior Secondary School (SSS) students who travel to the U.S. for one academic year and return to join their colleagues to complete their school certificate programme.
“Through this intense interaction over a prolonged period of time, students developed leadership skills, new friendship and a better understanding of America and its democratic way of life,” he said.
Saidu Yakubu, Nigerian director for YES, said the exercise is to prepare the students for their final exams, amongst other things.
He said: “The students were actually picked from SS1 while they were preparing for SS2 to enable them have their SS2 in the U.S. so that when they are back in Nigeria they would be able to write their final exams.”
The students, aged between 15 and 17, were selected from the northern region of Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi and Bauchi states.
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