A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Kaodili Cares Foundation, has charged school owners to engage the services of qualified teachers and also expose them to training in order to properly equip them to impart knowledge to their pupils and students.
Chief Executive Officer of the foundation, Ifeoma Egbuonu, stated this at the 7th Annual Spelling Bee Competition for primary schools in Port Harcourt, organized by the Garden City Amusement Park in collaboration with the Kaodili Cares Foundation in the Rivers State capital yesterday.
Egbuonu further said school owners should also take advantage of modern technology, saying “Today there is e-Library, e-training which they can tap from and impart same on their students. You can’t give what you don’t have. The world is moving very fast and so we need to upgrade to meet up with international standard.”
She, however, said finance was the major challenge facing the foundation, pointing out that despite reaching out to individuals and corporate concerns to support the foundation to stimulate the interest of children in education, the response was poor and called for a change of attitude.
“It is sad that people don’t really support education in this part of the world. We wrote to people and also did advertorials for people to come and support what we are doing. We want Shell, Total E&P and even the Government to come, even if it means giving scholarship to them (pupils) because this is where you can catch them young and check certain societal problems and vices in the future.
“This spelling competition is part of our own contribution to build our future leaders,” the CEO said, just as she expressed satisfaction with the performance of the students, noting that of the participating schools, 25 pupils would be selected to compete in the grand finale tomorrow where mouth-watering prizes awaits them.
In a chat with the Tide, The Bee Master and English Teacher at the Bayelsa Medical University, Yenagoa, Ikiemoye Inamagha said he was impressed at the performance of the students and lauded their teachers, while urging them to do more in helping them pronounce words correctly.
Inamagha described the competition as one of the best in Rivers State that people should look forward to and bring their children to participate, saying aside the education, it helps the pupils to comport themselves when they come before people and called on government and companies to support what the NGO is doing and take it to another level.
One of the parents, Chioma Aninwe who was selected as one of the judges said “It is something that is gratifying to sit up there and watch children become champions. I did this (judge) last year too and I brought my daughter.
“One of the things I noticed this year is that the children have imbibed the spirit of sportsmanship because even when they don’t get it, they will say thank you. They are so courteous. It means that if we are raising a generation that will learn that failure is not the end, but it means let me go and try again. It is rewarding experience for me that children are becoming their own cheerleaders so when they fall they get up immediately knowing that there is something ahead for me,” she stated with excitement.

By: Dennis Naku