THE battle for the coveted finals of the 2023 edition of the FAME Secondary School Leadership Competition has begun with 38 senior secondary schools competing at the preliminary stage, out of which 15 schools progressed to the grand finale of the competition.
Four schools, namely Queens School Ibadan, St Louis Grammar School, Yejide Girls, and Government College Ibadan fought passionately for spots at the final stage of the debate category of the competition.
Meanwhile, in the spelling bee category, five schools emerged as finalists after a series of tie breakers, namely Rochas Foundation College, All Souls High School, Abadina College, Ikolaba High School, and Queens School.
They were joined by 12 schools that emerged winners and losers in the quiz contests, namely All Souls High School, Queens School, St Annes School , Ibadan Grammar School, Islamic Day School, St Louis Grammar School, Mount Olivet School, Yejide Girls Grammar School, Rochas Foundation School, Anglican Comercial Grammar School, Wesley College, and Bishop Onabanjo School.
In fierce contests typified by a mixture of pleasant memories and heartbreaks, many were left behind, while St Louis Grammar School, Queens School, Yejide Girls Grammar School, and All Souls High School marched on to make it to the grand finale.
Only one school will be crowned champion in each of the three categories of the 2023 edition of the FAME secondary school leadership competition.
The race is now to determine who wins the FSSLC 2023 trophies and cash prizes.
The 2023 edition of the competition is sponsored by the FAME Foundation with support from the Oyo State Ministry of Education, among others.
Speaking on the initiative, the programmes coordinator, Paul-Mark Eroma, commented that “from our experience working with students in secondary schools, we have learned that most of them struggle with low self-esteem, lack of confidence, poor communication skills, poor reading culture, slow-thinking, and a lack of exposure to platforms that can enable them to compete with their peers in the bid to foster academic interrelations.”
Meanwhile, executive director of the foundation Raphael Stephen, said that, “the foundation intentionally created the initiative to give secondary school students a platform, where they can learn practical leadership skills, develop self-confidence, communication, and public speaking skills, quick-thinking and the ability to thrive under pressure while fostering healthy academic rivalry among senior secondary schools.”
According to Stephen, “FAME believes that through deliberate investments in students in secondary schools, we can improve the public secondary education system and contribute to the end of our leadership crisis in our lifetime.
