Over 2,000 Ekiti schools begin ‘Spelling Bee’ competition

THE 3rd edition of the annual Ekiti State Spelling Bee competition among students of public and private secondary and primary schools has commenced, with no fewer than 2,000 schools in the state taking part.

The deputy governor of the state, Dr. Kolapo Olusola, who declared the competition open at a ceremony held at Christ Girls’ School in Ado-Ekiti, said the competition was designed to boost students’ performance in the English grammar, sentence construction and vocabulary.

Dr Olusola pointed out that the competition would promote “healthy rivalry between public and private schools in the state,” and called on principals and head teachers of primary schools to organise similar competitions in their respective schools to prepare their pupils for greater challenges.

Olusola said the Ayo Fayose-led government would leave no stone unturned to propel education to enviable heights at both primary and secondary levels in the state.

Pointing out that education at those levels forms the bedrock for the future of any youth, Olusola declared that the government was ready to exploit every opportunity that could make it retain the first position the state recorded in the 2016 National Examinations Council (NECO) and also maintain the same feat in the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in 2017.

“The state government will give cash award as well as donate laptop computers to schools, teachers and students of schools that come first, second and third in the competition,” the deputy governor said.

In her address, the Permanent Secretary, Ekiti State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Princess Adekunbi Obaisi, advised participants in the competition to be diligent and dedicated so as to bring honour to their respective schools at the end of the contest.

Mrs. Obaisi said that the government of Mr. Ayodele Fayose was poised to promote all programmes and policies that would improve the standard of education in Ekiti State.

She however called on parents to join hands with government in its efforts to move the state forward.

The preliminary stages of the third edition of the competition for the Senior Secondary and Junior Secondary School categories had taken place at the seven designated centres, while the other stages of the competition would hold at the seven designated centres.