Date: 2016-11-10

Winners of the Rotary Quiz Competition, Bishop Smith Memorial College, Ilorin, displaying their trophy and cheque. St Anthony Secondary School and Government Secondary School (both in Ilorin) came second and third respectively in the competition. KWARA State government is partnering with the Rotary Club, Ilorin GRA to promote basic education and enhance learning environment in the state.

Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Alhaji Yissa Yeketi, who made this disclosure at the grand finale of the Rotrary Quiz Challenge held at Queens School, Ilorin called on other clubs, organisations and societies to emulate the example of Rotary Club of Ilorin GRA which sponsored the competition.

Yeketi, who was represented at the event by Pastor Kayode Alabi, a director in the ministry,said the state government was concerned about the development of education in the state adding that the concept of a quiz competition among students was one good way of achieving the objective.

President of Rotary Club of Ilorin GRA, Ayodimeji Fatai said the grand finale featured 10 schools from the initial 45 that took part in the premilinary stage. The participating schools were selected from the Kwara Central Senatorial district.

According to Fatai, the competition was a way of meeting the needs of the students and fulfilling the mission of the club which this year has decided to focus on the promotion of education along with five other core areas.

He said: "We are trying to see what we can do to promote better learning environment for Nigerian students, and our focus this year is this quiz competition. It used to be a very useful tool for promoting learning in those days but you can't say it is being done again so we are resuscitating it among our schools.

"There's no how you'll come for this competition and you wont go back home with one or two things learnt. That's the main focus." He said the subsequent competitions would involve private schools, adding that the experiences garnered from the pilot quiz programme would help the organisation to involve both public and private schools.

According to him, "In Rotary, there's a structure such that for the adults, there's Rotary Clubs, for those in tertiary institution, we have Rotaract Clubs, and for those in secondary schools, we have Interact Clubs. And we have Interact Clubs in about three or four schools. So, we feel it's also an honour for the overall winner to have Interact Club in the school. That's why we say we'll have presence in the school.

"We'll form the Club in that school, monitor the growth of that club to the extent that the members will be encouraged to become Rotaractors when they get to tertiary institutions, and eventually to become Rotarian in their adult life. "The winner, first runner up, and second runner up were presented with trophies, and individual prizes for the participants.

"Basically, they were presented with white chalkboards as most of our schools have black chalkboards. Black chalkboards have their own effects too as you need to paint them every time, teachers are dusted with chalks, students are tired of cleaning the chalkboards everytime. Now, we have white chalkboards which are synthetic, so to say. You just rub and it's wiped off.

"First second third will go with at least three white chalkboards that will be placed in the classrooms of the senior secondary school students in those schools, serving as sign that they've won something from the competition."