AGILE games: Ekiti govt targets gold medals in national contest

Ekiti State government has expressed determination and readiness to win gold medals at the end of the ongoing World Bank-assisted initiative Adolescents Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) games.

The state, who recently held inter-school competitions in seven games, has exuded confidence in its emerging representatives, saying all efforts would be put in place to ensure that the state succeeded in the remaining stages of the games in the national contest in Abuja.

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The seven competitions include: Spelling Bee, Debate, Essay Writing, Environmental & Entrepreneurship, Basketball, Painting & Arts and Digital Content Creation.

The government also decorated the best state-performing athletes, debate, essay champions, others with awards and cash prizes.

Speaking at the award ceremony held in Ado-Ekiti at the weekend, the Ekiti AGILE Project Coordinator, Yewande Adesua hailed the participants for displaying dexterity in their respective niche, adding that their actions were borne out from their educational expertise.

Adesua explained that Ekiti alongside other six states is benefitting from the world-bank support programe for the schools, adding that the initiative has helped in no small measure to improve the state’s education development especially in the area of enrollment.

She said AGILE games were designed to refine the potentials of the students outside education, which can give them an edge at the end of their educational pursuit.

The state coordinator further said that the competitions would enable them to navigate adulthood with their innovations, which, according to her, is the reality outside the four walls of the classroom.

She said, “This is the final leg of the AGILE Games that is going on in seven states of the federation and it is the award-giving and prize-giving day.

“I want to say that I’m really delighted about the outcome of today because it shows that education is not just about academics, it’s the overall development of a child.

“When you have such competitions, it brings out the best in the children, they are creative, they are innovative and they are able to see themselves as fully developed, not just about reading, studying English or studying mathematics.

“So, this is talking about the overall development of a child, which is needed to navigate adulthood. I want to say congratulations to all the winners and to wish them well in the next stage.

“The beauty of it all is that we have been able to work together, synergise. Like the debates, these different students came from different schools and they were able to work together as a team.

“If we want to make anything out of life as an individual or as a group of people, we need collaboration. So this is what the AGILE Games have been able to achieve. We will be meeting with Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Kebbi, and other states at the national level and we are hoping that the state will do well there.”

On her part, the Ekiti State Commissioner for Education, Dr Olabimpe Aderiye congratulated the state’s representatives for their efforts, with a charge to them to remain dedicated in order to defeat their potential opponents.

Aderiye, represented by the permanent secretary in the ministry, Michael Omolayo called on schools authorities across the state to engage in regular extra-curriculum activities that would develop the potential of their students.

All Souls Grammar School would be representing the state in Basketball Games (Male & Female Categories), Ayegbokiki Itunu for Spelling Bee, St Mary Girls School, Ikole for Environmental & Entrepreneurship, Ado Grammar School for Painting, Bello Deborah for essay and Benjamin Goodness for digital content creation.

Five representatives for the debate competition include: Peter Chinaza, Apalowo Oreoluwa, Mercy Ajayi, Progress Akinola and Olajumoke Fadipe.