Government Secondary School, Adiabor in Odukpani Local Government Area (LGA) of Cross River State has won the maiden Cross River Students’ Academic-Thon Challenge (CRISSAC).
The competition, which commenced on May 17 with 296 secondary schools in the 18 LGAs of the state, saw the victors move through the LG to zonal stages where only three schools, each representing a senatorial district, competed at the grand finale in Arts and Sciences subjects.
The Tide’s sourcel, reports that the colourful grand finale, which held in Calabar on Tuesday, saw the best student of the competition, Master Eminence Emmanuel, go home with N1 million worth of scholarship grant.
His school, which was the winning school, got N2 million worth of project grant from the government of Cross River State, while each of the six finalists at the grand finale went home with a brand new laptop.
Speaking during the event, he state Governor, Bassey Otu, said the idea of the initiative was to identify students who were talented and build on their talents.
Otu, represented by the Special Adviser to the Governor on General Duties, Mr. Ekpenyong Akiba, said the determination shown by the students in the challenge was important.
“This is because when a young mind is educated, he or she is liberated from enormous challenges which include poverty and other delinquencies.
“It is only an educated youth that can lead other youths effectively.
“As a government, we are sustaining our educational advancement through the general participation of various schools and students in a competition manner”, he said.
Similarly, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Student Advocacy, Dr. Abasiofiok Akpabio, said CRISSAC was more than just a quiz competition but a visionary statement by her office to revive academic excellence in the state.
Akpabio, whose office organised the event, said while they aimed to firmly redirect the focus of students in the state’s public schools, they hoped to discover talents among the children in these schools.
She said they decided to work with the public schools because for many years, public schools have suffered lack of infrastructure, unlike their private counterparts, in spite being filled with highly talented students.
According to her, the ultimate mission of her office in partnership with the Ministry of Education is to ensure that Cross River State is ranked among the top three states in all the Senior School Certificate Examinations.
“Before the end of this administration, we believe that Cross River will be ranked among the top three states in examinations in Nigeria. This is achievable and CRISSAC is a fundamental player in making it a reality.
“While we work to making learning exciting and ensuring dedication to books, we commend the teachers and mentors who are the bedrock of the success that we have achieved thus far”, she said.
A Chemistry Teacher from the winning school who was awarded N500,000 as the best teacher and mentor in the competition, told the source that he was quite elated and grateful to the Governor of Cross River.
Izuka, however, appealed to the organisers to improve on the technical hitches that were experienced and also announce subsequent events early, so the students could prepare.
On his part, the best student of the academic challenge, Emmanuel, an SS 3 student, said he was very excited for the award while urging students to focus on their books and prepare for the next edition of the competition.