By Umar Dankano, Yola
The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD) with support from Malala Fund has organised an inter-school debate for girls secondary schools in Adamawa state.
Programme Officer of the Centre, Lawal Amodu in his welcome address at the occasion in Yola yesterday explained that the inter-school debate and spelling bee competitions were organised for the selected girls junior secondary schools purposely to encourage more dropped out school girls to return back for studies.
Amodu said students were drawn from girls junior secondary schools in the Centre’s 3 focal local government areas of Maiha,Song and Numan in the state with a view for their teachers and parents to access the level of performance of their wards.
He stated that this year’s Annual Inter-school debate competition tagged ‘Investing in Girl Education-A waste or A worthy investment was part of the Centre’s C-CAGE project noting that 960 dropped out school girls have been returned back to schools.
He stressed that in some of their catchment areas safe space vocational skills trainings are being conducted for students so that they are exposed to technical knowledge on different ventures.
In his good will message,Commissioner of Water Resources,Hassan Kaigama expressed delight with the support being rendered to the state by the Centre in collaboration with Malala Foundation saying it is worth commendation.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary,Dr. Sani Shallangwa,Kaigama appealed to other CSOs and NGOs to emulate the gesture in the interest of humanity.
Also in their separate remarks at the occasion,Council chairmen of Numan,Maiha,Song and Shelleng said the coming of the Centre in to their areas have really impacted positively by changing the narrative in girl child education.
Our correspondent reports that at the end of the debate competition,Government Girls Junior Secondary School Numan emerged Winner with 45.6 points.Junior Girls Secondary school Murke of Song LGA took second position with 44.6 points while GGJSS Maiha emerged third with 39.3 points respectively.
However, in the spelling bee competition,Tabita James of GDSS Vunokilang won with 2 points to beat Chioma James of GDSS Girei who scored 1 point and Daniel Luka of GDSS Bekaji with 0 point.
