Nasarawa To Represent Nigeria In World Spelling Bee Competition In Dubai

The Executive Director, team Head, KRP, FEMA Foundation for education and migration awareness Kaneng Rwang- Pam has said Nasarawa will represent Nigeria in the forthcoming spelling bee competition both in the junior and senior categories in Dubai.

Kaneng while presenting the award to the champions on Friday at the Deeper Life High School conference hall along Kwandere Road, Lafia 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.

She said the competition is in partnership with Peat Philips foundation (PPF) Franchise Owners of Dubai
International continental spelling bee competition, (ICSB), saying the objective is to create communication skills among young people to win and lose and to know that even when they don’t get some things right they have opportunity to learn and to know that every failure is not failure but feed back.

Kaneng also disclosed that the NGO is to promote education in Nigeria, adding that for some years now they have been able to take children to the US to compete in the streets 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 own contribution in Nigeria,” she said.

She further stressed 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 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 learnt part of speech and many other English words that would assist them in the future,” she added

Rwamg- Pam used the opportunity to solicit support from the state government and 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 spelling bee.

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.

Speaking earlier, the executive chairman SUBEB, Mr. Mohammed Dan- Azumi who was ably represented by Mr Ibrahim A Echi, Director Academic Service during the opening ceremony of the spelling bee competition said it is as a result of lack of proper foundation in education giving to young people growing up that led to the present insecurity challenges bedeviling the country, adding that the beginning of education is from the lower basic, middle basic and upper basic which he said would encourage young people to put in their best even in the reading capacity instead of using computers.

He also 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.

It is on that note that the Chairman said SUBEB focuses on the provision of infrastructure, instructional material and training of teachers.

“In the component of training of teachers, the board would put in its best to ensure that the best training are 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 the 20th centuries 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 area of government intervention, Mr Muhammed is appealing to the state governor, Engr. Abdullahi A.Sule to use some of his prerogative funds to assist some of these programmes for pupils because some of them he said are the children of the have not and some are very intelligent.

“in the international communities where we have engineers that are producing airplane, most of the electrics gadgets are children of the have not that produced them. All we need to do as government is to sponsor this kind of children to go and learn how to couple and recouple equipments. And children of this level if they are sponsored by 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.