States Square up for Lafarge Literacy Contest Finale
All is set for the grand finale of the fourth Lafarge Africa national literacy competition, where 12 students from Plateau, Kano, Ondo, Edo, Gombe and Anambra States will battle for the coveted prize.
Each of the six states is represented by two students that won at the respective regional finals in October.
Public school students from the 109 senatorial districts in the country took part in the competition which evaluates their reading, essay/ summary writing and spelling abilities.
The Director of Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development, Mrs. Folashade Ambrose- Medebem, said the competition seeks to touch lives of diverse people in a sustainable way and the company is pleased with the positive impact it has made in the past four years.
“Over 2,700 public primary school students took part in the competition. Over 200,000 primary school pupils across 244 local government areas have been impacted since the competition began in 2014.”
She said the competition is one of the initiatives of Lafarge Africa Plc to support government’s efforts in improving the standard of English Language in public primary schools, adding that it is in line with the organisation’s sustainability strategy, the 2030 plan, with the ambition to enhance the quality of life for all.
“The 2030 plan is grouped into four pillars: climate, circular economy, water and nature as well as people and communities. The literacy competition falls under the people and communities pillar.
Miss Faith Toun- Agbai and Hassan Yesufu, winners of the South- south regional competition will be representing Edo in the upcoming finale. According to them, “the competition has improved our spelling, reading and writing; this makes us feel we can still achieve our goals. We will like to thank Lafarge Africa Plc for sponsoring this competition.”
Primary school pupils between the ages of nine and 13 years are the main target of the competition, which is organised with support from the respective State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEB) and the Ovie Brume Foundation, Lafarge Africa’s implementation partner.