A total of 10 primary six pupils from both public and private schools have won this year’s edition of the Lagooz Schools Scholarship Awards competition.
The total prize money of the awards in scholarship is N35.7 million with the top three receiving N7.2 million each and the rest receiving N1.89 million each.
The winners are six males and four females from a total of 295 applicants who partook in the Mathematics scholarship exam.
They include 10-year-old Miss Oghenemaro Iwhiwhu (from Chrisland School Opebi), who took the first position scoring 94.5 per cent; Master Abdulrahmon Aminu (second best from the Al-Maruf Primary School, Sango, Ogun State), scoring 91 per cent; Miss Umaiza Kolawole(from The Jannah Sprouts School, Lagos), who scored 82.5 per cent to take third position and Master Abdulsalam Lawal(also from Jannah Sprouts School) winning fourth position.
Others according to their performances are Master Ibrahim Bello, Master Abdulmaleek Abdulhakeem, Miss Hameedah Alli, Master Emmanuel Onu, Master Abdur-Rahman Saib and Miss Khadejah Olayinka.
They have all been presented with their prizes on Thursday at an award ceremony held
at Lagooz Schools Agege with their parents and Maths teachers in attendance.
Interestingly, their Maths teachers and schools were also given gifts including award plaques, android phones and laptop computers respectively for producing them.
Speaking at the event, the chairman of Lagooz Schools, Mr. Yomi Otubela, said the scholarship award was instituted seven years ago to achieve, among others four major purposes.
According to him, the award is aimed at helping brilliant but indigent students, rewarding academic excellence, reducing out-of-school children and accessing quality education.
He said the school is driving the scholarship programme through Yomi Otubela Foundation (YOF), which he established as a social arm to give back to society.
Otubela, who is also the National President of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools(NAPPS), explained that the school decided to use only Mathematics to test applicants and pick the best among them for the scholarship because of the importance of the subject at both elementary and secondary education and also to encourage healthy competition among them.
He said though Maths is not a difficult subject to understand and pass, many students naturally have phobia for it and because of that failed the subject in important exams.
He stated that while the top three, who won N7.2 million each would enjoy full scholarships covering tuition, books, and accommodation among other benefits throughout their six years of studies, the rest would enjoy partial scholarships covering their prize worth.
He noted that there are many other criteria the school uses to assess indigent students for scholarships as 10 more would still be added as scholarship beneficiaries for the year.
These criteria, according to him, include sports, creative arts, literature and debate as well as those, who may have lost their sponsors.
“So, here in Lagooz Schools, we don’t put all our focus on academic excellence. We also help build talents in other areas such as sports, creative arts, digital skills, hand-work and so forth and also build good character in our students, ” he stressed.
While Otubela congratulated all the winners of the scholarship and their parents and teachers, he urged the students to remain focused on their studies by avoiding unnecessary distractions.
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He pointed out that good testimonies from the previous winners, who are today doing well in their studies or now in the universities are a great motivation for the foundation.
Otubela, however, urged governments at all levels to intensify efforts in taking out-of-school children who are across states of the federation and the federal capital territory off the streets.
He said for Nigeria to be one of the countries with the highest burden of out-of-school children globally is unacceptable as the consequences of such development have taken a huge toll on the citizens.
Otubela also urged governments to take the issue of safety around schools nationwide more seriously by deploying technology in them to help prevent armed attacks on students and workers.
In his remark, the Maths teacher of the overall best student, Mr Mustapha Adesoye, described Oghenemaro as a genius.
He said the young girl had all along, been among the exceptionally brilliant students in the school, adding that she is the deputy head girl there.
He commended Lagooz schools for instituting the scholarship awards and also for extending gifts to the school and maths teachers of the best three in the competition.
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