NAME : OLANITORI, ISEOLUWA ABIOLA

SCHOOL: COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS (CMUL)

COURSE: MEDCINE & SURGERY

CRITICAL THINKING: A SYSTEMATIC EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE BENEFIT OF THE SCHOLARSHIP AWARD FROM AIYEKU FOUNDATION

Critical thinking according to Oxford dictionary is the objective, systematic and rational analysis of factual evidence in other to form a judgment on a subject or issue. In simpler words, critical thinking is when you make careful judgments in order to solve problems and evaluate information, not allowing opinions or feelings to affect your sense of judgement. Critical thinking is a skill or attribute every individual should have. It helps in personal development and academic growth. An individual who has the skill of critical thinking has the ability to solve problems by bringing about innovative solutions, which is very vital in sharpening our cognitive skills and research abilities and also enable us to be able to effectively communicate our ideas with our peers. This essays helps to carefully analyze the merit of this scholarship opportunity which in the long run would help me to think deeply and look at a bigger picture drawing inspiration from Marcus Cicero’s thoughts on philanthropy.

Marcus Cicero was a Roman lawyer, scholar, politician and a writer who in his numerous philosophical writings explained the importance of philanthropy in the development of the society, which aligns with the values of Dr. Iyiola Aiyeku and his wife, Chief Mrs Janet Aiyeku. This essay is aimed at analyzing how giving back to society aligns with the ideals of Cicero in personal and societal development.

I got to hear about the Aiyeku foundation scholarship from one of my uncles. This period coincided with the time the Nigerian government was contemplating to stop funding tertiary institutions, thereby causing the hike in the fees of the university students. As a child of retired parent I was bothered about how the hike in fees was going to affect my parents, so I was glad when I got to hear about the scholarship opportunity and my joy knew no bounds when I was selected. This scholarship has gone a long way in reducing the financial burdens of my parents especially in an economy laced with inflation.

This scholarship opportunity has several benefit which include: It helps in personal development of the recipient, like I said earlier it helped in relieving my parent of the financial burden of paying my school fees thereby also giving me the ample opportunity to focus on school and other soft skills without the emotional stress of thinking of how my fees will be paid, thereby helping me to be a more excellent student. For other students who are on the verge of dropping out of school, this opportunity grants them free access to education.

Furthermore, the scholarship has granted me an opportunity to have access to a community of likeminded individuals which opens the door of peer to peer interaction, networking, fostering of professional relationship and mentorship which has the potential of producing the future leaders of our nation and in the world as a whole, this is in accordance with Circo’s value on developing good leaders.

It is also a form of corporate social responsibility (CSR), in which the family of the principal of this initiative are giving back to the society which can be seen in the scholarship programme and community development initiative in Okiti pupa, which is displayed on their website.This mirrors Cicero’s clamour for individuals to contribute to the greater good of the society.

Also, being a recepient of this scholarship scheme will help in boosting my resume and serve as a pivot in my numerous academic and leadership position applications. It also helps in preventing the accumulation of student debts and also future debts. This can be seen in the light of the onset of disbursement of student loans in Nigeria; the availability of scholarships to indigent students helps in reducing the burden of indebtedness.

In addition, the Aiyeku foundation mirrors the ideals of Cicero’s thoughts in his writings on philanthropy and this has helped in the development of individuals and the society at large. Aiyeku foundation is a non-religious, non-profit, non-governmental philanthropic organization that offers scholarship opportunities to indigent students of Ondo State and the Oke-Ogun of Oyo State. It also embarks on community support projects.

Another benefit of this scholarship foundation initiative is that it brings about the development of empathetic individuals which is really needed in the development of our society. These individuals, who are recipients of the scholarship will also ensure they extend this act of good will as responsible adults to their respective communities by sponsoring other indigent students and also use their skills and knowledge of experience in developing their communities, which brings about an unending cycle of philanthropy, goodwill and patriotism.

The mission of the foundation is to provide service to humanity and its motto is “Faith with actions for humanity”. We can see from the mission and vision statement of the Foundation, that the foundation is aimed at supporting the growth of individuals at a personal level and the society as a whole which also reflects the ideals of Marcus Cicero on philanthropy.

In conclusion, the scholarship awarded by the Aiyeku foundation mirrors the values highlighted by Marcus Cicero in his writings about the importance of philanthropy which can be seen in how it helps in relieving of financial burden, access to mentorship opportunities, community development and personal development. These benefits listed above not only shows how the foundation is helping personal development but also the Society at large via the emergence of empathetic and focused future leaders.