Junior Secondary School, Area 10, Garki, Abuja has emerged winner of the third edition of the interschool reading competition organised by the Nigerian Book clubs and Reading Promoters in Nigeria (NBRP).
The competition is a part of the network’s ongoing Abuja Book City programme aimed at promoting reading among Nigerians, particularly among young people.
“The aim of NBRP is to get more Nigerians to read. Our aim is to catch readers young starting from the grassroots. We want to promote reading culture here in the FCT, and we have reading promotion activities with schools, which this is part of. The aim of this competition is to encourage them to brainstorm, widen their reading horizons and be competitive in their studies. It is important for them to know that the competition is a part of the reading habit,” NBRP Abuja coordinator, Loye Olowoekere, said.
The competition which brought six junior government secondary schools – JSS Garki Area 11, JSS Garki Area 10, JSS Apo Resettlement, JSS Model School Maitama, JSS Mabushi and JSS Tungan-Kwasau, saw the students battle for the top three positions following the spelling bee, story review and writing.
The contest was presided over by a three-member jury – Mrs Itoro Essien, Mr Victor Mba Agbai and Mr Thomas Bayo.
JSS Garki Area 10 placed first with a cumulative point of 65, JSS Apo Resettlement came second with 62 points, while JSS Garki Area 11 took third place with 61 points.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP, JSS 2 Garki Area 10 student, Pemida Esther, said the school got the invitation to participate five days before, and all six students didn’t have much time for preparation.
