Research show that millions of children in Nigeria are out of school because of cost related factors even though education is nominally free. While public secondary education in Nigeria is free, there are fees that impact students. These include transportation, books, uniforms and examination fees. Due to the additional costs, many students find attending school increasingly difficult and either do not enroll in secondary school or drop out.

The Oando Scholars Programme annually awards scholarships to the three best performing final year students from each adopted school to ease their transition to secondary school. The award covers tuition where applicable and other expenses which include transportation, study materials and uniforms. The programme supports children who have excelled in their academics to transit to Secondary School whilst building a culture of excellence among children in Oando adopted schools.

Scholars are identified by the Foundation in partnership with the SUBEB, school heads, representatives of SBMCs, and Local Government Education Authorities. They are selected based on an aggregate of their primary five (5) and primary six (6) results (continuous assessment & exam) and the State- level Secondary school placement examinations. Awardees must maintain an annual average performance of 70% in all subjects to remain in the scheme. The Foundation has awarded 1,102 scholarships to date.