By Millicent Ifeanyichukwu

The Regalo Hope Foundation (RHF) has organised a Quiz Competition for students in secondary schools across Lagos state, as part of activities to herald the 2025 EduStake Conference aimed at advancing education.

The competition, which had over 25 schools from public and private sectors, held on Wednesday at the Lagos Theatre, Igando, and featured Spelling Bee and Current Affairs competitions.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that five schools emerged tops in the stages of the competition, to advance and compete for cash prizes at the finals stage on Jan. 24, 2025.

The top five schools include Stadem Comprehensive College Igando, Egan Senior Grammar School, Egan-Igando; Akesan Community Junior Grammar School, Akesan-Igando; Grimes International College, Subaru-Oje, all in Lagos and DeGate of Wisdom Model School, Itele-Awori Ota, Ogun state.

Mrs Chinenye Onuorah, Founder and Project Manager of RHF, in her address, said the initiative was to rebrand education and restore the passion whereby students would have full grip of spellings, current affairs and know their vocabularies.

According to her, the essence of the preliminary competition ahead the 2025 EduStake Conference, is to bring back spelling knowledge and searching of words in dictionaries .

“This will help bring knowledge in the classroom, not just on the surface, but also sharpen their general knowledge, improve their vocabularies, and help them to embrace their national values by understanding current affairs.

“Like today, some don’t know their ministers and state slogan. Students no longer have passion for spellings and have limited knowledge of current affairs because of technologies and use of devices.

”That is part of what this competition is trying to instill.

“The prize at the 2024 edition for winners was N250,000, 1st: N150,000 2nd position and 3rd position got N100,000”.

On the cash prizes in the 2025 edition, Onuorah assured that the prize would be more.

She solicited for more sponsorship.

In her remarks, Mrs Olabisi Abiodun, Head of Department (HOD), Education Library Services, Igando/Ikotun LCDA, applauded RHF for the programme describing it as, “more of enlightenment than competition”.

Abiodun urged the students to take advantage of such engagements to gain more knowledge.

She said: “Never gain knowledge for nothing, but use it to transform yourself and the society.

“Take cognisance of the five pillars of education, which are- learn to know, your right, learn to do ‘activate’ what you learnt, learn to.live together as an entity, learn to be (not to have inferiority complex) and lastly, learn to transform,” she added.

Abiodun was represented at the event by Mr Ojo Adekunle, Secretary, Education Library Services, Igando/Ikotun LCDA.

Also, Mr Raheem Akeem, the youth Leader of Igando/Ikotun LCDA, while lauding the organisers of the programme, urged parents to complement the effort of RHF and be actively involved in their children’s academics.

Earlier, Mr Nnamdi Onuorah, Chairman, Board of Trustees of RHF, said the foundation was committed to using the platform to bring out the best in students, for them to become the desired sound leaders of tomorrow.

“By my own assessment of the participants, the students are making progress but there is room for improvement.

“The gain or benefit of the programme is that the questions and answers have added to their knowledge.

“There is need to keep track of basic foundation. Those days, we used to have dictations, literary and debating activities which spurred us to research more, unlike today that devices have taken over.

“RHF is supporting our education system through this quiz because we believe that it will further encourage and promote their self-esteem, make them have versatile knowledge and build their capacity,” he added.

Meanwhile, OreOluwa Abiodun, Partnership and Communication Strategist, RHF, said that the EduStake, an annual conference by the foundation, was organised to bring together education stakeholders.

Oreoluwa added that the event would engage parents, teachers, students community leaders and government officials to discuss and enhance the course of education in Nigeria.

“The EduStake will also feature RHF Legend Award (for teacher or educator with over 25 years experience) and Heroes Award (top three who enrolled in RHF Teachers Leadership Academy), including cash prizes,” she added. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Vivian Ihechu