Community Senior High School, Lekki, has emerged as the winner of the 2023 Tolaram Science Challenge (TSC), defeating Magbon Alade Senior Grammar School at the grand finale of the competition sponsored by the Lagos Free Zone (LFZ) Company held on Friday, July 14, 2023.
The Tolaram Science Challenge is an annual science-based competition for schools located within the Ibeju-Lekki axis of Lagos, where the Free Zone is situated. The Tolaram Science Challenge is the flagship CSR initiative of the company aimed at developing and promoting science education amongst the students within the area.
Sixteen secondary schools participated in this year’s edition of the competition, with each school represented by a total of Six (6) students. The students were tested in five core subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, and General Knowledge. At the end of the week-long competition, Community High School, Akodo, finished third, while Eagle’s Vision International School, Orofun, came fourth.
During the closing ceremony, the top 3 students in the competition were rewarded with cash prizes, and other consolatory prizes. Also, the best students from the 16 participating schools were awarded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) scholarship for their outstanding performance.
Speaking during the closing ceremony, the representative of the Permanent Secretary, Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Lagos State, Mr. Okesanya Abiodun, expressed profound appreciation to Tolaram for being a torchbearer of progress, shaping the lives of students in the communities for a brighter tomorrow through the competition.
He encouraged other corporate organizations within and outside Zone to emulate Tolaram by investing in the future of children in the country. Okesanya noted that everyone, including teachers, parents and guardians, and corporate organizations, owes it a duty to collectively nurture a generation of young minds who will lead change in creating sustainable development for the betterment of Lagos and making it a 21st-century economy.
“Today, I celebrate not just the winners of this competition but every one of you who dared to participate and contribute your ideas to the collective pool of human knowledge. The winners should see this competition as a steppingstone to a greater height and not relent in their studies. Also, to those who cannot win this time, I encourage you to prepare and study hard next time. Your participation in this event is a sign that you are all committed to your academics,” he added.
In his remarks, Dinesh Rathi, the Chief Executive Officer of Lagos Free Zone, commended all the stakeholders for their support. He assured them that the competition has become a veritable platform for creating champions for Nigeria’s future.
Rathi disclosed that one of the social impacts of the competition was the emergence of one of the participants of the 2016 and 2017 editions of the competition, Kabiru Olakunle, as the best-graduating student from the School of Transport & Logistics at the 26th Convocation Ceremony of Lagos State University held recently.
He congratulated Community High School for emerging as the winner of the 2023 edition of the competition. He explained that the company is delighted with how the competition has evolved since its inception in 2016.
He noted that the competition has undoubtedly helped significantly generate and encourage intellectual curiosity among students, which would serve as the bedrock needed to take Nigeria to greater heights. “In any competition, there are winners and losers. But at Tolaram Science Challenge, we believe there are winners and learners. There are no losers; all the students are learners”, he said.
Speaking shortly after receiving the trophy, the team captain, Community Senior High School, Lekki, Lot Stephen, expressed great delight at the success recorded by his team at this year’s competition, noting that the performance is a product of hard work and dedication from all the members of the team.
“I am happy to be part of the team achieving this feat. Though I was part of the representatives of my school in last year’s edition, but we didn’t win. The experience of last year fired me up to give my best, and I am grateful we emerged winner this year”, Stephen said.
The Tolaram Science Challenge is supported by other companies including TG Arla, Kellogg Tolaram, Rotary Club of Eko Atlantic, Stanbic IBTC.
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