Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu has urged students to imbibe the habit of using mobile phones in a responsible manner to avoid a situation where the mobile devices would constitute distraction to their studies.
He said this in Umuahia, during the grand finale/award of prizes of the Abia Schools Quiz competition, organised by the State Ministry of Education and sponsored by Ray Nkemdirim Foundation (RNF).
Over 250 public and private secondary schools participated in the quiz competion, which started at the local government level and progressed to the zonal level from where three schools emerged for the final.
Mayfair Academy, Umuahia, represented by Ezeoma Ihejiabueze and Great Ijioma won the competition, receiving the grand prize of N1 million; Ovom Girls High School, Aba came second and won N500,000; while Holy Brilliance College, Bende, placed third and got N250,000 prize money.
The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Chris Ezem, regretted that android phones have taken up much of the time that students should be using to study their books.
“It is a major distraction,” he said, adding that students spend over 40 per cent of their time chatting, pinging, watching videos or playing music on the mobile phones instead of using such valuable time for studies.
He reminded students that they must lay a good foundation on which to build their future careers by studying hard to excel in the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).
The founder/Chairman of RNF, Chief Ray Nkemdirim said his foundation undertook the sponsorship of the quiz to bring to the fore the importance of education and encourage students to aim high and excel.
“Do not rest on your oars (because) with education you can do a lot in life,” he charged the students, adding that his foundation is determined “to impart commitment and hard work in the young ones.”
Nkemdirim promised that RNF would sponsor the winners of the quiz competition to the university and follow it up with mentorship so that they could give back to the society after achieving success in their chosen careers.
The Vice-Chancellor, Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU), Prof. Onyemaechi Obulu, represented by Professor Udo Nwokocha, commended RNF for sponsoring the competition and for the “meaningful prizes” attached to it.
He noted that such competitions provide students the opportunity to strive to excel in academics, adding that the quiz competition should be sustained while other public/ private partnerships should be explored to create other school competitions.
The Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Kenechukwu Nwosu, who is the immediate past Executive Secretary, Abia State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB), applaudedthe organisers for including Igbo Language in the quiz competition.
However, he regretted that it was evident that the knowledge of current affairs was low among students, saying that they should not be ignorant of happenings in their state, nation and the world at large.
