June 18, 2021
BY MOHAMED M. SESAY
The Pujehun District Students Association (PuDSA) has on 15th and 16th June, commemorated the African Child`s Day by organizing a quiz and debate competition among five schools in Pujehun District. The theme for the celebration was “Free Quality Education: A Torchlight for a Transformative Pujehun District’s Development”.
In the quiz category competition, Kadiatu Koroma of Malen Junior Secondary School took the 1st position with 100%, followed by Josephine Gbongay of 2nd position with same 100%.Note the decision between the two participants on who deserved the first position was based on IQ Test. Alfred Gandi of St Stephens Secondary School came 3rd, Foday Massaquoi 4th and finally Kadiatu Kamara settled for the 5th.
The topic for the debate was, “The Success and Sustainability of the Free Quality Education Lie in the Hands of the Government and Teachers. FOR or AGAINST”.
Speaking to A-Z news, the winner of the quiz competition Kadiatu Koroma of Malen Junior Secondary School said she felt so elated for having emerged as the lucky winner of the competition. She extended her profound thanks and appreciation to the President of PuDSA Abdulai J. Kanneh for organizing such an academic competition adding that, such competition is geared towards promoting girls education in Pujehun District.
Kadiatu Koroma also disclosed that the secret and technique behind her success for emerging as the winner was that, she takes her academic work very seriously and also has to study very hard on a daily basis.
Kadiatu Koroma also intimated that she has contested five quiz competitions and have lost two and won three which have built up her experience and also made her correct the mistakes she made in the past.
The winner of the debate competition Alie Mohamed Kemoh of Galliness Perrie also told A-Z News that hard work is the secret behind her success for emerging as the winner of the debate.
Alie Kemoh revealed that he has been over the years, practicing public speaking among his colleagues in order to build up his confidence for such competition.
He encouraged PuDSA to be organizing such academic activities consistently adding that, such academic activities will give them the courage and confidence to contest for a nationwide debate that might be organized.
“I am very happy today for this debate competition organized by PuDSA because they gave me a lot of prizes. Among the prizes given to me are books that are very much essential to my academic journey”, said Alie.
On his part, the president of the PuDSA Abdulai J. Kanneh disclosed to A-Z News that one of the objectives of PuDSA is to promote education in the district which is the main reason why he encouraged his executive to organize an academic event such as debate and quiz on the day of the African Child.
He added that their source of income generation is largely on appealing to stakeholders in the District for financial support to organize such activities. Abdulai Kanneh continued that they carefully chose June 15th and 16th because June 16th in particular is nationally and internationally celebrated as a day of the African child and therefore, they chose to organize these activities because it is a day of the African Child.
He furthered that they carefully selected the Debate and quiz competition as the major activities because they wanted to test the oratory skills of school going pupils in Pujehun District if they can stand in a public to exhibit their academic excellence.
“If fact what we have experienced from these activities is that we have realized that we have potentials within Pujehun District, and we have very intelligent pupils in the District that can stand in any gathering and express themselves. For the Quiz we chose to do it because we also wanted to know whether the pupils are really familiar with their core subject which is mathematics, English Language, Integrated Science and Social studies”, said Prezo Kanneh.
He concluded by extending thanks and appreciation to all the stakeholders who supported financially and morally in actualizing the debate and quiz competition.
He appealed for the continued support of stakeholders in Pujehun towards PuDSA activities so that the organization will be able to actualize its objective of promoting education in the District.