Winners Emerge in Maiden Oshimili South Quiz Competition for Primary, Secondary Schools

*Delta lawmaker solicits more support for public schools

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

Government Model Secondary School, Asaba, has emerged winners of the senior secondary category of the Oshimili South State Constituency 2024 quiz competition, after beating Niger Mixed Secondary School and Zappa Mixed Secondary School to the second and third positions.

The School was also ahead of Isioma Onyeobi Secondary School and Osadenis High School in the junior secondary category, winning a cash prize of N300,000 for the senior and N150,000 in the junior school category.

In the basic category, Ahabam Primary School, Asaba, snatched the first position, leaving the second and third positions to Ogbeafor Primary School and Abuator Primary School, respectively.

The competition is at the instance of Barrister Bridget Anyafulu, member representing Oshimili South in the Delta State House of Assembly, working in collaboration with Uncle Jude Lesson Nigeria as well as Oshimili South and relevant ministries of the Delta State Government.

In her opening remarks, Anyafulu said that the competition was conceived to grow and consolidate the intellectual capacity of basic and secondary school pupils and students especuly in public schools in Oshimili South Local Government Area.

The world has since become a global village where capacity building mattered to the younger generation who require certain competencies to enable them keeo pace with global trends effectively, warning that children in Delta should not be allowed to be left behind in a digitalised world due to negligence and inadequate attention to their education at the foundation levels.

She charged the children to remain focused and committed to leaning as they aim higher, adding that great men and women they see or hear about in different fields of human endeavour all began from elementary level just like them.

“Encouraging our children to take a strong interest in education will enhance its quality and produce better-educated citizens”, Anyafulu said, adding, “Education should trascend merely going through the system and the acqusition of certificates; it should include knowledge, skills, and character development for the children.

The lawmaker pointed out that the focus of the competition was on public schools because she believed that pupils and students of such schools had the capacity to do better than their counterparts in private schools.

Anyafulu thanked Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for encouraging team spirit among leaders at the state, local government area and ward levels, which played out at the various stages of the competition, and commended stakeholders, especially teachers, whose contributions helped to make the competition a huge success.

In their separate remarks, the Commissioner for Technical Education, Mr Smart Ufoh, Commissioner for Secondary Education, Mrs Rose Ezewu, represented by Mr Mayor Ejiro and the Chairman, State Universal Basic Education Board, (SUBEB) Hon Samuel Mariere; commended Hon Anyafulu for the initiative.

They said that building the intellectual capacity of the young ones through such programmes as quiz competitions and school debate was a sure way to keep them on track and focused on their educational pursuits, as well as instill in them the spirit of competitiveness early in life.

Chairman on the occasion and Hon Anyafulu’s former secondary school mathematics teacher, Engr Anthony Onochie Igbeke, who also led the panel of judges, congratulated all the participating schools and their competitors, who he noted were impressive in their performance, commending the lawmaker for creating the avenue for the children to exhibit their academic potential during the exercise.

The quiz competition featured English spelling and Mathematics for pupils in Primary Four to Six, and also for Junior Secondary School students (JSS1–3). Senior Secondary School students (SS1–3) competed in spelling, mathematics, chemistry, physics and general paper.

The event climaxed with the presentation of cheques to the victorious schools as well as various educational materials, including exercise books, mathematical sets, biro-pens and school bags to the children and all participants.

During the preliminary contest held a week earlier, six top-scoring pupils were chosen in each category, totalling 18 competitors out of 100 participants, emerging as the best performers across three categories and setting the stage for the grand finale held yesterday at the Dennis Osadebey University Anwai-Asaba.