The Intellectual Potential Initiative, IPI, a Civil Society Organisation, CSO, in collaboration with Yobe State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, has conducted spelling bee competition for 41 junior secondary schools in the state.
Mohammed Goje, SEMA Executive Secretary, disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the competition on Saturday in Damaturu.
Mr Goje said the essence of the competition was to restore hope and encourage learning among students, whose education was affected by the insurgency.
He explained that no fewer than 100 participants were selected from 27 public and 14 private schools across the state.
The theme of the two-day competition, which commenced on Saturday is: “Nurturing talents and building resilience in post conflict through educational development”
Mr Goje said, “We are gathered here today to achieve educational multi dimensional approach of His Excellency, Mai Mala Buni.
“Our role at this agency is to ensure that communities affected by conflict come out stronger far better than before and during the conflict.
“And we realised that during the displacement caused by conflict, a lot of parents migrated in Buniyadi, Gashua, Nguru, Geidam and other places
“And this has translated to migration with parents changing school to their children.
“So we felt it is an important opportunity to identify students from conflict affected communities and bring them together to the state capital and test their skills,” he said.
He said the students would spell over 1,500 words based on the global best practices and at the end of the day, a winner would emerge and go home with a prize.
Buba Kalallawa, the chairman, House Committee on Education and the member, Yobe State House of Assembly noted that the house would continue to accord priority by giving the highest budget to education.
Earlier, in his remarks, the chairman of the occasion, Dauda Suleiman, said the expectation at the end of the event was to demonstrate the financial commitment of government towards education.
He added that the competition was also meant to stimulate further discussion among the stakeholders to see the significance of education in the overall agenda of the administration.
NAN
