The Flickers of Hope Foundation says it is advancing education and nurturing academic excellence through its annual competition.
The foundation said this encourages students to embrace learning as a tool for personal and societal development.
The Executive Director of the foundation, Mrs Omolara Adedeji, disclosed this on Saturday during the fourth edition of the Pa Alfred Annual Quiz Competition organised for secondary schools in Abuja.
Adedeji said the competition was aimed at helping to keep children in school by inspiring them to embrace education as a pathway to a brighter future.
She said the initiative had, over the years, challenged students, teachers and schools to improve academic performance while promoting excellence and rewarding hard work.
According to her, the competition has continued to attract wider participation and support because of its positive impact on education.
“We have seen that this programme challenges young people, teachers and schools. It helps schools identify areas where they need to improve and encourage students to understand that hard work pays.
“It also helps us keep more children in school because we know there are many out-of-school children. We want them to see education as a tool for becoming responsible and productive citizens,” she said.
Adedeji said the foundation deliberately restricted participation to schools within the Bwari Area Council in line with its community-based mandate.
She, however, said the model could be replicated in other area councils and states interested in promoting quality education through similar initiatives.
According to her, the foundation also publicises outstanding performances in categories such as spoken word to encourage creativity and inspire more students to participate.
She said although the foundation discontinued awarding scholarships during the competition, it still operated separate scholarship schemes based strictly on merit.
She said the decision was taken to ensure fairness across all categories of the competition.
Looking ahead to the 2027 edition, Adedeji said the foundation planned to provide more impactful prizes, including digital devices, to enhance technology access and digital literacy among participating students.
“We are in a digital age and many of these children do not have access to digital devices. Our goal is to ensure that future prizes help open the gateway to technology and digital literacy,” she said.
Some of the participating students described the competition as rewarding and motivating.
Andikan Nkanican of Junior Secondary School (JSS), Bwari Central, who placed third in spoken word category, said the achievement was a reward for his hard work and determination.
“I feel very happy because this is my first time participating. This victory is an encouragement for me to do better,” he said.
Another participant from the JSS, Tudun Fulani, Miracle Inyang, described the competition as a memorable experience and commended the organisers for providing a platform that encouraged teamwork and academic excellence.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that in the Spoken Word category, Junior Secondary School (JSS) Baupma emerged first, while JSS Dutse Alhaji 2 and JSS Bwari Central came second and third, respectively.
In the Quiz and Debate category, JSS Tudun Fulani emerged first, followed by JSS Bwari 1 in second place and Ajike Model Schools in third place.
