Community Secondary School (CSS) Rumuokwurusi in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, has emerged winner of the 2011 Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), State government science Quiz competition.

The school came first with 50 per cent, Community Secondary School (CSS) Opobo Town, second with 45 per cent while Degema National High School (DNHS) had 40 per cent to emerge third.

Government Secondary School (GSS) Isiokpo had 20 per cent to take fourth competition held in Port Harcourt, Tuesday.

These four schools that participated at the finals, The Tide gathered, were selected out of 193 secondary schools that were drawn from the 23 local government areas of the state.

Our correspondent also recalls that the quiz competition was the third in the series after the governor’s cup and the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) “catch them young” competition in the state.

Responding after the receipt of the cup and other awards, the Vice Principal of GSS Rumuokwurusi, Mr. Ikechukwu Okuku, commended NLNG for giving public schools the opportunity to actually fix the materials that Nigeria would be proud of tomorrow.

Mr. Ikechukwu Okuku, who spoke on behalf of the school, noted that before now, the public schools looked abandoned.

He said with the present situation under the government of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi and the Commissioner for Education, Dame Alice Lawrence-Nemi, the future is indeed bright for public schools.

“The prize my school has won and others, we are dedicating to the services of our Governor and Hon Commissioner for Education”, he expressed.

He appealed to other schools not to relent no matter the condition they would find themselves.

According to him, “Schools here are not schools where parents pay thousands for their children to acquire knowledge and so facilities are not there”.

He, however, appealed to the government to employ more teachers especially in the sciences.

The student, who represented the school, Master Ijokgwung Awaji-Oriongo, said his greatest achievement is that he participated in the NLNG competition.

“I was very happy and overwhelmed with joy when I heard that we came first. I have made my school proud.

“Although I participated in the PTDF competition at the state level but was dropped”, the student said.

He said his performance in previous competition challenged him to work harder.

Eunice Choko-Kayode