UNIVERSITY OF MKAR’S ESSAY COMPETITION: UNIQUE SECONDARY SCHOOL SLAMS OTHERS
By Armstrong Tseaa
Three Secondary Schools in Benue State today won the University of Mkar’s twentieth anniversary essay competition. They are Unique Secondary School, Makurdi, Princess Adeja International College, Gboko, and Angus Frazer College, Makurdi.
They took first, second, and third positions respectively, carting away N500,000.00, N300,000.00 and N200,000.00 in cash prizes and trophies in that order while the remaining five schools got consolation prize of twenty thousand naira each.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Mkar, Professor Zacharys Anger Gundu was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics, Dr Joel Tivde in his address, said the cash prizes were for the students while the trophies were for the schools. He announced that the prizes would be presented at a later date.
He congratulated all the participants, saying, they were all winners while maintaining that the institution recognizes secondary schools as feeders of the University without which the university cannot exist and therefore organized the essay to bring them close in the anniversary celebration.
The Vice Chancellor recounted that the institution was licensed in June 2005 to operate five schools and various courses fully accredited by National Universities’ Commission (NUC) and other relevant bodies, adding that they (UMM) provide holistic education with testimonies already.
Speaking on behalf of Panel of Assessors, Associate Professor Nguveren Kyernum praised the performance of all the students while appreciating their respective schools for the good job they were doing as exemplified in their students’ performance.
Responding on behalf of the winners, Miss Avav Emmanuella of Unique Secondary School, Makurdi, thanked God for the feat while appreciating the university for the opportunity and level playing ground provided them. She said they look forward to more of such opportunities.
In their reactions, some parents of the winners, Avav Terlumun Jnr, and Seungwa Num, who both beamed with smiles, appreciated the university for putting together the competition and described the organisation of the contest as perfect.
The essay titled “Insecurity In Benue State: A threat To My Education And Future Dreams” had over fifty entries, out of which ten were selected as finalists whereas only eight appeared at the finals.
Agbo Ehi, a visibly happy contestant of Opal International Academy, Makurdi, advocated: ‘mobile learning as done in other climes, where learning is not restricted to the classroom should be explored even in Benue State.’
The cash prize winners were: Avav Emmanuella of Unique Secondary School, Makurdi, Seungwa Precious of Princess Adeja International College, Gboko, and Achie Michelle of Angus Fraser Memorial High School, Makurdi.
