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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, on Friday, flagged off the 2022 Commonwealth essay competition for kids in junior and senior secondary schools with focus on the topic “Our Commonwealth”.
Adamu who was represented at the event by an official of the Ministry described the competition as one of the oldest essay competition in the world had impacted greatly on the academic lives of the children and young adults who had participated in the contest in the past.
He encouraged students in the basic and secondary schools in Nigeria, public and private, to take advantage of the opportunity to either test or fine-tune their writing skills, and also earn an opportunity to compete in the global stage if they succeed at the national stage.
He congratulated the local organizers and the Head of Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II, for her commitment to educational development in Commonwealth countries using the platform of the essay competition.
President, Cradle 2 Harvard International School, Abuja, Mr. Phrank Shuaibu, in his remarks, explained that the Commonwealth essay competition is an annual event instituted by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, who is the Head of Commonwealth.
He said: “It has been an interesting competition all these years conducted across the 54 Commonwealth nations of the world. This year’s edition tagged “our Commonwealth” is meant to bring out the literary skills and abilities of children across the Commonwealth nations.”
He described the competition as a platform for fostering unity, bonds and encouraging children to develop interest in writing and other literary engagements. “You must be of a particular age, 14 to 18 years, to be able to participate in the essay competition, either at junior or senior category, and it’s open to all kids across public and private schools who are interested in participating in the essay.”
The Country Director, The Royal Commonwealth Society, Mr. Blackson Olaseni Bayewumi, in his remarks, explained that essay competition founded in 1883 was instituted to give creative young writers the opportunity to explore contemporary themes through the written word.
He said that this year’s event coincided with the platinum jubilee of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, hence it will serve as an inspiration for every Commonwealth citizen to embrace lifestyle of selfless service, dedication and commitment to Commonwealth.
He said: “Indeed, 2022 is indeed a remarkable year, not only as a year of Her Majesty’s platinum jubilee but also Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, and Commonwealth Games in Birmingham which will be hosted in June 2022, and July 2022, respectively.”
He encouraged more students within the age bracket across the Commonwealth countries, particularly in Nigeria, to take advantage of the registration window to participate in the competition which will, expectedly, enhance their writing skills, creativity, and innovation, pointing to the fact that the importance of appropriate and qualitative education cannot be overemphasized.
He, therefore, appealed to university lecturers under the umbrella of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Federal Government to embrace meaningful dialogue, consultations, compromise at resolving the prolonged academic strike.
