Education

Literacy: Group Organise Spelling Bees Competitions For Northern Schools

Published

3 years ago

January 25, 2023

Mariam Sanni

In a bid to promote Literacy in the Northern part of the country, a group known as Educand Education Initiative, EEI has organised a NorthCentral and Northeast regional SPELLand THRILL Intervention competition.

The President of EEI, Ayotunde Ikulamberu , explained that the spelling competition which started in 2012 in Ondo is for primary and secondary schools in Nigeria.

According to him, the competition has increased to 25 states and FCT across the South East, South South and North Central/Northeast.

While addressing journalists in an interview at the event, he said that the competition is aimed to refocus and encourage students to showcase their hard work outside the classrooms environments.

He added that the extra curricular activities goes a long way in helping the students.

“ For us is a platform for us to reengineer to refocus and to bring up students both primary school pupils and secondary school students to be able to showcase their level of hard work and diligent outside of the classroom environment .

“Now we understand that the school has their own curriculum, weather we like it or not the extra curricular activities such as this competition will help .

According to him, the SPELL and THRILL which has been in existence for 10 years also had a UNESCO endorsement in 2017.

He explained that the UNESCO endorsement is based on media and literacy information which is suppose to educate populace, the parents, students, teachers.

“SPELL&THRILL! is an annual intervention based spelling competition organized for both private and public, primary and secondary schools in Nigeria. SPELL&THRILL! brings whole families together thereby helping to break intergenerational low educational and literacy skills. This has endeared SPELL&THRILL! as the leading literacy project of the new generation.

“As a corollary, in the year 2017, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) considered SPELL&THRILL! as an indubitable platform for the integration of the Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Curriculum into Nigerian schools’ curriculum.

“UNESCO’s MIL curriculum is designed to combat the propagation of hate speech, fake news and terrorism while fostering proper use of the internet, intercultural dialogue and cohesion among citizens. The curriculum is also geared towards helping teachers become more pragmatic towards their role as educators in this regard.

Meanwhile, two regional winners emerged:
Saviour Onazi of Trophies International School, Minna, Niger State and Nwannadi Precious Chizaram of NUT Endwell Model Science School, Minna, Niger State.

For the 7th edition of the competition, the participatory schools in the Primary Schools category are: NECO Staff School, Niger state, Universal Kingdom Academy, Kogi state, Trophies International School, Niger State,and early Strides Preparatory Schools, Abuja.

Also for the secondary category are: Unique High School, Abuja, Living Spring International College, Abuja, and Universal Kingdom Academy, Kogi.

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Education

Inclusive Education Boost as Deaf-Tech, Federal University of Lafia Roll Out Master’s in Disability Studies

Published

1 week ago

September 26, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

In a major step toward advancing inclusive education in Nigeria, Deaf-in-Tech, an initiative of Data-Lead Africa, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal University of Lafia (FULAFIA) to establish a Professional Master’s Degree in Disability Studies.

The signing ceremony, held at Deaf-in-Tech’s headquarters in Abuja, featured a goodwill message from Prof. Adaka Terfa Ahon, Director of the Centre for Disability Studies, who represented FULAFIA’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Shehu Abdul Rahman. He reaffirmed the university’s commitment to championing disability and inclusion in its academic innovation and planning.

The new Master’s programme will adopt a hybrid learning model, with online classes complemented by in-person sessions at Deaf-in-Tech’s training facility in Abuja. It is designed to build expertise in disability-inclusive governance, education, and development across sectors.

Executive Director of Deaf-in-Tech and Co-Founder of Data-Lead Africa, Dr. Arowolo Ayoola, described the collaboration as a “structural shift” in how institutions and professionals engage with disability issues. “The inclusion journey must begin with knowledge, and we are proud to partner with a progressive university like FULAFIA,” he said.

Beyond the postgraduate programme, the partnership will also establish a Deaf-in-Tech Club on FULAFIA’s campus — the first of its kind — to empower Deaf students with technology skills, mentorship, and innovation opportunities. Additional initiatives include a ₦1 million academic excellence reward for any Deaf student who graduates with a First Class, as well as the development of a disability-accessible website and digital database for the Centre for Disability Studies, built to WCAG 2.1 global accessibility standards.

The alliance underscores both institutions’ commitment to building inclusive systems and celebrating excellence, while positioning Deaf-in-Tech as a catalyst for bridging the gap between disability and the digital economy.

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