St George’s Boys School Wins Spelling Bee Competition in Lagos

Rebecca Ejifoma

A pupil of St George’s Boys School in Ikoyi, Ndifreke Wisdom, has won the Children’s Education Fund (CEF) Spelling Bee Competition.

While Nnachetam Emmanuel of St George’s Boys School emerged second, Amoo Emmanuel of Dodan Barracks Primary School came third.

The competition, held at St George Boys School in Ikoyi, had 11 schools across Ikoyi-Obalende.

In the words of the Programme Manager for CEF, Temitope Akinrotimi, the spelling bee is a practical exercise to provide a valuable educational experience for the children.

He noted that the spelling bee project encourages education among children in underserved areas, and helps the foundation to identify talents.

Akinrotimi emphasised, “We want to revive the quest for intellectual growth and be a source of motivation to the enablers of academic growth – teachers and school owners.”

Since its inception in 2018, she continued, CEF has impacted over 500 children in Lagos and hopes to expand to southern and northern regions where the youthful population and the number of in-school children are meagre.

“Our target is to reach 5,000 students from Q1 2023 to Q2 2025,” she added, decrying the abysmal decline in the quest for intellectual acquisition at both primary and secondary levels, especially in government-led schools.

On his part, the Founder of Adebayo Dream Humanitarian Foundation, Dr Adebayo Adekunle, said that the spelling bee fosters healthy competition among the pupils.

He outlined: “Our mandate as an organisation is to be the bridge and help in health, education, and vocation.

“We want the pupils to go to school and be intentional about learning in school.” Thus, CEF partnered with the Adebayo Dream Humanitarian Foundation.

To further motivate the participants and the cheering students in the audience, winners received education tablets.

Others were school bags, launch bags, launch boxes, water vacuums, stationery, and cartoons of biscuits.