The World Best Tv Show, organiser of ‘National Spell It Battle of Champions’ has urged governments, individuals and private organisations to invest in education and revive school competitions to promote education and fix the nation.
The National Coordinator of the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Mr Fred Iwuoha, made this appeal in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Lagos.
Iwuoha, who noted that the NGO which is into Bell Weather Educational TV Programme, had spent fortune in promoting of literacy and learning through competitions, support to kids’ education activities, excursions among others.
According to him, investment in education and promotion of competitions among students would definitely resolve and fix numerous challenges facing the nation.
Iwuoha urged the government across levels, well-meaning Nigerians and corporate organisation needed to invest hugely in promoting of educational activities to build a sustainable future for the country.
“If we have competitions that are genuine and real which the children can always look up to to participate, get exposures and win prizes at the end of the day, I think it will help education more and fix a lot of things for us.
“These kinds of motivations can reduce the number of out-of-school children, violence, crimes and address a lot of our current societal challenges
“The government is trying its best but needs to do more. We need to invest more in education to change the mindset of our younger generation through education for a better tomorrow.
“We can inject in them values that can transform this nation,” Iwuoha said.
The coordinator said the NGO’s annual competitions, which started in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States, had covered 32 states of the federation with its second National Spell It Battle of Champions held at the National Stadium, Abuja on Sept 10.
Iwuoha said the competition motivated winners with huge some of money to enhance their studies, saying in few years over N100 million had gone into the project with supports from various companies.
“We give winners cash prizes and medals at the state levels. From the state, the winners will represent the state at the national level.
“We just-concluded a national competition in Abuja where the the winner of the Upper Primary School Category got a star prize of N1 million, first runner up got N500, 000 while the second runner up got N250,000.
“For the Junior Secondary Category, the sum of the national prize for winner was N500,000, the first runner up was N250,000 while the second runner up got N100,000.
“This is a form of scholarship, it is a cash scholarship from us to the children,” he said.
Iwuoha commended the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, for taking care of the Primary School Category second runner up, being motivated by the brilliant idea to further encourage education.
He added that the NGO’s motif was also to envision and redirect the minds of the Nigerian younger generation from violence and crimes through school activities for them to understand the importance of education.
According to him, the organisation through competitions has been able to reward winners with a huge sum of money to support their education, saying some have made their first million through hardwork and intelligence in the competitions.
Iwuoha said the organisation would not relent in efforts to redirect the focus of the nation’s future leaders to remove their minds from evil.
He urged more public spirited Nigerians to support the NGO in the cause of promoting learning among our future leader.
Iwuoha said Master Aliyu Mustapha of Zee Excellent School Ogun State emerged winner of the JSS Category in the last edition held in Abuja while Adetunji Glory of Vinpet Standard College, Ekiti came second and Harrison Haziel, of First Ghana Experimental School, Adamawa, came third.
For Higher Primary Category, he said that Oluwajimade Lydia of Sacret Heart school Oyo State emerged the overall winner while Christabel Chinedu of Oak Hills International School, Nassarawa State came second and Chiabotu Stephen of Jewel Model School, Abuja came third.
