Three pupils have emerged winners of the 2016 public primary schools’ debate in Aguda-Surulere Council Area of Lagos State, with the overall winner carting home N30,000 prize money.
Eleven-year-old Onyeka Agina of Canal Primary School won with 16 points, while Ifeanyi Aronu of Umoru Primary School came second with 15 points and Chidima Igwe of Enitan Primary School placed third, scoring 14 points.
Aronu got N20,000, while Igwe went home with N10,000 prize money respectively.
Eleven primary schools participated in the 7th edition of the competition, organised by an NGO, Total Child Educational Foundation.
Speaking on the occasion, Bankole Sadipekun, the Executive Vice-President of TCEF, noted that the competition would help to identify areas of weakness among the pupils.
Sadipekun, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria on the sideline of the competition held on Wednesday, stressed the need to lay a solid foundation for learning at the primary school level.
He said the debate had revealed the true situation at the foundation and formative level of education in the country.
He said: “Most of the pupils who participated in the competition are usually the best in their schools.
“The debate will help to identify areas of weakness among the pupils particularly public speaking and communication skills.
“The programme has also revealed how bad things are especially in the public primary schools, which is the formative level.”
The TCEF boss explained that a programme – After School Club – had been introduced to retrain the pupils in the identified areas of weakness.
He said: “We are trying to bring out the desired standard and best out of the pupils through the After School Club introduced for the pupils.”
Sadipekun noted that teachers, who also participated in the debate of their pupils, identified critical areas which required more work such as diction, subject-verb agreement among others.
Describing education as fundamental to national development, he said the interest of pupils should be sustained in education at all cost.
Agina, the winner of the competition, told NAN that he was excited about his performance and urged teachers not to relent in their effort to bring out the best in them.
He said: “I feel happy and I want to appeal to our teachers to help us as pupils so that we can be brave at all times.”
The primary five pupil, who called for regular inspection of schools, urged the state government to provide more books and improve on the facilities in schools such as regular water supply.

theeagleonline.com

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