By Muhammad Maitela, Damaturu
The Yobe State Government is set to unveil the third edition of the Yobe Spelling Bee Competition, with 72 schools and 144 students expected to participate in the statewide academic contest.
The competition is designed to promote literacy, vocabulary development, confidence, discipline and academic excellence among students across the state’s 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
The initiative is organised by the Yobe State Government in partnership with the Nigeria Food Corporation (NFC), which serves as the Exclusive Premium Gold Sponsor. GREYLAND is the Gold Sponsor, while SAMSUD and DAMULI INVESTMENT, as well as ELEGANCE CONSTRUCTION, are supporting the programme as Silver Sponsors through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
Announcing the competition on behalf of the organisers, the Director of Schools and Academic Services at the Yobe State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Abdullahi Haladu, said the initiative demonstrated Governor Mai Mala Buni’s commitment to improving educational standards and creating opportunities for young learners to develop their abilities.
Haladu said participating schools were selected through a transparent process based on data contained in the Yobe State SUBEB database.
According to him, the number of schools allocated to each LGA was determined by the distribution of public and private schools captured in the database.
Under the approved arrangement, Damaturu and Potiskum will each present eight schools, comprising five public and three private schools.
Bade and Nguru will each present six schools, while Geidam and Gujba will each present five schools.
The other participating LGAs — Bursari, Gulani, Tarmuwa, Yunusari, Fune, Fika, Nangere, Jakusko, Karasuwa, Machina and Yusufari — will each present three schools, comprising two public and one private school.
In total, 72 schools, including one special school, will participate in the competition, with 144 students drawn from Junior Secondary School (JSS) 1 to JSS 3 expected to compete.
Gender Balance, Automatic Qualification
Haladu said the selection process also ensured gender balance, with each participating school required to present one male and one female contestant.
He added that the schools that emerged first and second in the previous edition had been granted automatic qualification for the third edition in recognition of their outstanding performances.
Judges and Officials
Professor Clifford of the Department of English and Literary Studies at Yobe State University will serve as the lead judge.
Other members of the judging panel include Shamsiya Barde, a United Nations OCT Youth Delegate.
Dr Hassan Bulama of the College of Education, Gashua, and Abdullahi Nuhu of CABS, Potiskum, will serve as pronouncers.
The event will be hosted by poet and storyteller Zara Alim Bakari, alongside Abdullahi Bukar Zannah, who will serve as Master of Ceremonies.
Three-Day Competition
Haladu said the three-day competition would be conducted in a conducive and well-organised environment.
He explained that participating students, teachers and guardians would be accommodated and provided with meals throughout the programme.
He said comprehensive rules and regulations had been prepared and distributed to participating schools, covering the responsibilities of judges, pronouncers, teachers and contestants.
The rules also provide guidelines on spelling procedures, requests for repetition, time limits, scoring and elimination.
According to Haladu, contestants will progress through the Preliminary, Round Two and Knockout stages, with all participants given equal opportunities before the elimination stages.
He said the revised format was designed to meet acceptable educational and competitive standards while helping students develop discipline, concentration, confidence and public-speaking skills.
The Yobe Spelling Bee Competition is expected to provide students across the state with a platform to demonstrate their academic abilities while encouraging a stronger culture of reading, learning and healthy competition.
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