The intelligence-quotient building organisation Saturday held a final of Building-Word Competition for over 30 students from various schools in West Coast Region on English Language involving word building, spelling, word grouping (parts of speech), word meaning (semantics), and word usage (making words work for you).
The intensive and brain racking competition featured very brilliant and clever students who made it almost impossible for the judges to come out with outright winners in a daylong stiff contest, held at the Baboucarr O. Joof Conference Centre in Brikama.
At the end of the day, five students emerged outright winners, with Ridwanullah Olaniyi of Al-Madina Basic Cycle School in Brikama, clinching the golden trophy as the leading student among the five awardees.
The competition, held under the auspices of Wordland Africa and sponsored by Yonna Wallets, an arm of Yonna Group of Companies, was out to foster reading culture towards human capital and global development. It signals the call: Let’s make African Children Great Globally.
This is just another level or strand of our effort to promoting learning and education in the Gambia, said TAKE-M’s Chief Executive Officer Tunde M.N. Ogundimu.
Mr Ogundimu says TAKE-M has been training, organising and conducting competitions for students in Mathematics, Science and English Language.
“In this global economy, one of the most effective ways to set our children up for success is to ensure they receive excellent multiplication skills at early stage, that is a cornerstone of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education,” he stated.
Mr Ogundimu said TAKE-M has also conducted similar competitions on programmes such as Spelling Bee to African Nations and the Competition on Multiplication – Mother of Mathematics (COMMOM).
“These events do much more than challenge our students academically. They inspire them to explore, to research, and to discover new worlds of knowledge,” said TAKE-M’s Event-Secretary Sirra Chorr, who moderated the event.
Modou Lamin Fatty of the Yonna Group of Companies commended TAKE-M for the sound initiative, saying Yonna as people-centred and development-oriented company in The Gambia is always willing to assist and support initiatives geared towards human resource development and national advancement. Hence the involvement of Yonna in various sectors of the economy with the establishment Yonna Forex Bureau, Yonna Islamic Microfinance, Yonna Islamic Insurance, Yonna Enterprise and Yonna Wallet.
Mr Fatty commended the teachers and schools for teaching and grooming students who are exhibiting unimaginable talents and IQ in such competitions as conducted by TAKE-M.
He also called on parents to fully support and aid their children in their learning struggles to enable them perform well in schools and their academic journey. “Yonna is with TAKE-M; we will support TAKE-M’s initiatives,” he said, as he suggested student tour of Yonna Group subsidiaries and facilities.
Malang Kuyateh, retired Principal Education Officer of the Education Ministry, kick-started the nail-biting programme with edifying remarks that left the students fired up for the competition.
