The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in collaboration with Intellectual Potential Initiative (IPI) organised a spelling Bee competition for junior secondary schools across the 17 local government areas of yobe state.
Member, Yobe state House of Assembly and Chairman House Committee on Higher Education, Hon. Buba Ibrahim Kalallawa, while declaring the competition open on Saturday said, the House of Assembly will continue to increase the budget of the education sector.
He said, “A lot have been budgeting on 2021 budget on education and a lot of achievement have been recorded since the declaration of a state of emergency by governor Mai Mala Buni On 29 May 2019.
“We will continue to partner with executive arms of government in providing funds to education.”
The executive-secretary SEMA, Dr Mohamed Goje said the competition is a multidimensional approach to revive the education sector in Yobe state.
Goje stated that they identified students from conflict-affected communities and those that have migrated to other locations and changed their schools.
“27 schools are public, 14 private junior secondary schools and the students are going to spell 1500 wards best on the global best practices and have a winner that would go home and celebrate.” SEMA Boss said.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the occasion and director program, Yobe state contributory health care management agency (YSCHCMA)Dr Sulaiman Dauda noted that the theme of the competition “Nurturing Youths Talent and Building Resilient In Post Conflict through educational development” is apt because Yobe is one of the most devastating states as a result of the conflict resulting from Boko Haram crises in the last 12 years.
He said, “this crisis is putting a lot of devastating effect on our Schools and education system in general”.
He revealed that the participants were chosen from the seventeen Local government areas of yobe state, saying they are predominantly public schools and few private schools.
He said it shows the practical representation of the reality of society.