Six students from schools across Nigeria have been selected to represent the country in the United States of America for the 2024 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship (MOSWC).
The six students include Olamiposi Ayoola Ajisafe, Gabari Rume, Daniel Uzugbo, Bolurinwa Fabuyi, Arigbabu Oluwadamisola and Excel Chukwuemeka.
The competition, which is designed to test students’ capabilities in the use of Microsoft including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, is scheduled to be held in Disneyland Anaheim, California, USA.
The students were selected to represent Nigeria after emerging as winners of the 2024 MOS Nigeria Competition conducted by ReadManna in Nigeria between October 1 2023 and March 31 2024.
Speaking on the competition, Edna Agusto, founder of ReadManna Empowerment Initiative, said Nigeria has emerged in second and third in the World Championship in the past 15 years and had finished in the top 10 places nearly every year.
Agusto said the Nigeria version of the championship is sponsored annually by Zenith Bank PLC and challenges students to demonstrate their proficiency in the use of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
According to Agusto, these Microsoft Office Specialist programmes are the most commonly used productivity tools by businesses worldwide and the official MOS certification programme assesses and demonstrates proficiency in these programmes.
She further said the winners of the 2024 Microsoft Office Specialist in Nigeria and their school’s ICT teachers will be representing Nigeria at the World Championship in the USA.
Giving the details of the students, Agusto said Olamiposi Ayoola Ajisafe is an Excel 2019 winner from Faith Academy, Gowon Estate in Lagos State who scored 1,000/1,000 at the competition;
Gabari Rume, a Word 2019 winner is from Grace High School, Gbagada, Lagos State scored 1,000/1,000; Daniel Uzugbo, a PowerPoint 2019 winner is from Faith Academy, Canaanland, Ota, Ogun State scored 1,000/1,000.
Others are Bolurinwa Fabuyi, an Excel Office365 winner from City of Knowledge Academy, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State scored 980/1,000; Arigbabu Oluwadamisola, a Word Office 365 winner, Faith Academy, Canaanland, Ogun State scored 1,000/1,000; Excel Chukwuemeka, a PowerPoint office 365 winner, from Faith Academy, Canaanland, Ogun State scored 1,000/1,000.
She further said that the students will be accompanied by two ICT teachers namely, Stephen Aimufua, the ICT teacher of the student with the highest score in the 2023 MOS Nigeria Competition from Faith Academy, Ogun State and Omotayo Adeniyi, the ICT Teacher of Louisville Girls High School, Ijebu-Itele, Ogun State – the school with the largest number of certified students in the Junior ICT Competition 2024.
On the benefits of being a Certified MOS user, Agusto said through the MOS certification, users will become proficient in the use of Microsoft Office programmes, thereby improving their chances of becoming gainfully employed in today’s digital world.
“It is globally recognised and allows certified users to apply for jobs anywhere in the World. MOS certification also provides a solid foundation for advanced ICT training and certified users will be able to pursue training in advanced computer technologies,” she said.
The MOSWC competition scheduled for July 28 -31, 2024 is an annual event contested by students from over 150 countries.
ReadManna Empowerment Initiative is a not-for-profit organisation that drives current, practical and relevant digital literacy skills that align with global standards among students, youths and teachers in Nigeria through competitions and conferences.
