Admin l Tuesday, October 03, 2018
ABEOKUTA, Ogun, Nigeria – Mr. Martins Akinsolu, Director of Education, Education Support Services, Ogun State Ministry of Education, has tasked private organizations and philanthropists with supporting and contributing to the development of education in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Akinsolu made the call on Thursday at the start of the second edition of the Inter- Secondary School Debate organised by Park Inn by Radisson, Abeokuta, Ogun in conjunction with Kola Obadimu Jr Playhouse. The debate themed ‘Education and the Nigerian Child’ is endorsed by the Ogun State Ministry of Education and is scheduled to begin on Oct. 22 and end on Feb. 28, 2019.
While briefing newsmen, Akinsolu said: “The Ogun State Ministry of Education is always in support of any organization or philanthropist that are ready to support education in the state.
“We need the support of individuals to support the development of educational services in Ogun State. The Inter-Secondary School debate has a potential to get really big, there is a serious crisis in the educational sector in Nigeria and as an international brand (Park-Inn by Raddison), has contributed its quota.
“With the introduction of the Inter- Secondary School debate competition, the students will be exposed and it will help them to discover themselves.
It will encourage them to be bold, confident and be able to think fast.”
Mr Kayode Aina, the General Manager of Park Inn by Radisson Group, said the debates is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme of the hotel and a way of giving back to the society by supporting the Nigerian child.
“The Group will continue to support the Nigerian child’s curiosity and learning through our CSR which uses inter-school debates as a tool to rejuvenate healthy competition among secondary schools in Nigeria. You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives. The second edition of the Inter- Secondary School Debates is a bigger competition than the first, with forty secondary schools (public and private) picked across Ogun State, scheduled to participate,” he said.
Aina noted that the debates are aimed towards opening up the minds of the children, helping them research, think outside the box and exchange views on a wide range of topical issues.
Mr Kola Obadimu, a television and radio drama writer and producersaid the debates were created to encourage education, provide scholarships for students. He added that the competition will help provide resources for the poor and less privilege individuals who cannot afford the means of educating their children.
“Basically, it is aimed at developing the intellectual prowess of the students and exposing them to critical thinking.The children are the future of any society, it is also a way of promoting educational tourism in Nigeria.” he said
NAN reports that twenty secondary schools in Ogun participated in the inaugural edition of the debates held in 2017 which produced Victorroti Private Secondary School, Idi Aba, Abeokuta as the winner.Three debaters from the winning school – Taiwo Okeleye, Kehinde Okeleye and Mary-Ann Zubair, won a three-day all expense paid educational tour to Kenya. (NAN)
