Kaduna South Local Government Education Authority (LGEA) on Wednesday emerged winner of the 2019 National Inter-school Quiz Competition for primary school pupils on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Kaduna state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ikara and Kachia LGEAs came second and third respectively, while Makarfi LGEA came last out of the 22 LGEAs that participated in the competition held in Kaduna.
Mr Sama’ila Adamau, Director, Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation in the state’s Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) told NAN that the competition was sponsored by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Adamu said that the three LGEAs would represent the state at the zonal competition scheduled for September 2019 in Katsina.
He explained that the competition was organised to create the needed awareness and attitudinal change among primary school pupils toward good sanitation and hygiene practices.
“Kaduna State with funding support from UNICEF and United Kingdom Agency for International Development have been expending huge resources toward improving good sanitation and hygiene practices, particularly in rural areas.
“Rural communities are being supported with water and sanitation facilities, under the Sanitation, Hygiene and Water in Nigeria (SHAWN) programme.
“They are equally being supported with useful information and knowledge on how to maintain and live in a hygienic environment for better health outcomes.
“This quiz competition is part of efforts to ensure that the younger generation, particularly primary school pupils are equally carried along in promoting good hygiene practices and keeping the environment clean,” the director said.
Also speaking, Kabir Lawal, Desk Officer, School Health, Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board, noted that schools were part of communities that benefited from the SHAWN programme.
According to him, the competition is inculcating good sanitation and hygiene practices among pupils, which in the long run will create the needed hygiene-sensitive communities in the country.
NAN reports that Army Children’s School, Artillery II, Kaduna, represented Kaduna South LGEA, UBE Primary School, Turaki represented Ikara LGEA, while St. Johns Primary School Kachia, represented Kachia LGEA.
The visibly elated Head Teacher of the Army Children’s School, Mrs Angelina Abel, said she prepared the pupils to participate in the competition.
“When I heard of the competition, I directed my teachers to mobilise all materials and books on sanitation, hygiene and other health issues needed to prepare the pupils for the competition.
“And to my surprise, my school won the competition at the ward level, won at the LGEA level and went on to win at the state level.
“This shows that with available teaching materials and dedicated teachers, children can learn whatever you want them to learn and fast.
“They have impressed me; they have encouraged me, and I want to do more. I have, therefore, decided to teach WASH related issues to all my pupils from nursery up to primary six,” she said. (NAN)
