By Philip Yatai
Kaduna – The Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has presented N100,000 cash prize to the primary six pupils who came second in the National Inter-primary School Quiz Competition on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the cash prize was from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the organisers of the event.
The pupils, Success Elimimiah and Abdulwasiu Abdulrazak of Army Children School Artillery II, Kaduna, represented the state at the competition held in Abuja on October 15.
The Permanent Secretary of the board, Hajiya Amina Ikara, who made the presentation in Kaduna on Monday, also presented the cash prize of N90,000 to the primary school.
Ikara commended the pupils and their school for making the state proud, adding that the board would continue to improve the quality of teaching and learning in public schools across the state.
“We are so proud of your outstanding performance and I urge you to keep it up.
“The cash prize from the organisers of the competition is just to encourage you; the real reward is the knowledge you have acquired, which will take you to places in the future,” she said.
Also speaking, the board’s Director, School Inspection and Monitoring, Malam Aliyu Idris, commended the school and the parents for encouraging the pupils to study for excellence.
“I must also commend the teachers for delivering quality teaching in the school, which was demonstrated in the performance of the pupils in the competition,” he said.
Malam Kabir Lawal, Desk Officer, School Health, Kaduna SUBEB, explained that the pupils represented their school right from the ward, local government and state levels, where they came first.
Lawal said their impressive performance at the national level enabled them to emerge second after Rivers, while Bauchi State emerged third.
According to him, the competition is inculcating good sanitation and hygiene practices among pupils which will create the needed hygiene-sensitive communities in the country.
On her part, Mrs Mary Bawa, Desk Officer, Sanitation, Hygiene and Water in Nigeria programme, in the state Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, described the performance of the pupils as “commendable.”
Bawa explained that the competition was organised to create awareness and attitudinal change among primary school pupils toward good sanitation and hygiene practices.
“Kaduna State with funding support from UNICEF and United Kingdom Agency for International Development have been expending huge resources toward improving good sanitation and hygiene practices, particularly in rural areas.
“Rural communities are being supported with water and sanitation facilities, under the SHAWN programme.
“They are equally being supported with useful information and knowledge on how to maintain and live in a hygienic environment for better health outcomes.
“This quiz competition is part of efforts to ensure that the younger generation, particularly primary school pupils are equally carried along in promoting good hygiene practices and keeping the environment clean,” she said.
(NAN)