The Foundation for Education and Migration Awareness (FEMA), said that Nasarawa state would be representing Nigeria in the forthcoming spelling bee competition in Dubai, the United Arab Emirate.
The competition which is scheduled to take place in September this year would have students of both Junior and Senior secondary school categories compete with their counterparts across the world.
Kaneng Rwang-Pam, executive director, FEMA, made this known during the presentation of the award to the champions penultimate week at the Deeper Life High School in Lafia.
Rwang-Pam said one person each from both categories will emerge champion to travel to Dubai to compete with other countries in the world in September this year.
According to her, the competition which is in partnership with Peat Philips Foundation (PPF) Franchise Owners of Dubai International continental spelling bee competition, (ICSB) is to create communication skills among young people.
The executive director also disclosed that its NGO has been promoting education in Nigeria, of which over the years, they have been able to take children to the US to compete in the street competition and some to the UK to learn broadcasting and communication in general.
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“So we are advocating for quality education as a result of the SDGs 4 which is about promoting quality education not just across the country but across the world. So we are making our contribution in Nigeria,” she said.
Rwang-Pam further that, they will work for the demand of quality education which is the school’s pupils, teachers, and the supply aspect which is policy-making in terms of assisting the government to review educational policy and proffer solutions to partners.
“To improve the quality of teaching, we are using the English language as our module to promote education as part of SDGs goal 4, we learn articulation to communicate well in the society, the students have learned part of speech and many other English words that would assist them in the future,” she added
Rwamg- Pam then solicited the support of the state government and other stakeholders in the state to support the winners of the competition as it is the first time a champion will be emerging from Nasarawa state to represent Nigeria at the international level of the spelling bee.
Earlier, Mohammed Dan- Azumi, executive chairman, NASARAWA State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), who was represented by Ibrahim Echi, director of academic services said, the lack of proper foundation in education being giving to young persons is largely responsible for the cases of insecurity challenges bedeviling the country.
The SUBEB chairman said, ensuring access to education at all levels would encourage young people to put in their best even in the reading capacity instead of using computers.
He appreciated the organisers of the spelling bee competition, describing it as impressive having noticed the intelligence of participants during the spelling bee presentation and other segments of the competition.
Dan-Azumi, therefore, reiterated the focus of the present government to the provision of infrastructure, instructional material, and training of teachers.
“In the component of the training of teachers, the board would put in its best to ensure that the best training is giving to teachers that will now train the pupils in the spelling bee that would go along way in improving their foundation,” he added
Adding: “it is not the matter of 20th-century education which is the utilization of the computers; if you don’t know spellings, the computer itself cannot be commanded, and if you force the computer to input your wrong spelling, it will not function effectively. You must have the knowledge and the reading culture must be inbuilt in the children.
“In the international communities where we have engineers that are producing airplanes, most of the electric gadgets are children who produced them. All we need to do as a government is to sponsor these kinds of children to go and learn how to couple and recouple equipment. And children of this level if they are sponsored by the government, the sky will be their limit,” he stated.
He, therefore, advised the children and the organisers not to lose hope because it is the beginning of their educational pursuit.
“The spelling learners should keep on encouraging themselves to get their career,” he said.
Our correspondent gathered that from the junior category, Umar Abdullahi Umar of the PTA NADP Nursery and primary School Lafia emerged the champion, and from the senior category marvelous Udo of the Springfield Oasis College, Lafia, was also crowned champion as both winners now have the opportunity of competing with other spellers in Dubai by September 2021.
