In an impressive display of academic excellence, students from Moremi High School in Ile-Ife achieved third place in a recent debate and speech competition behind Zenith Bank in Ile-Ife, Osun State in late September. They were awarded a cash prize of seventy-five thousand naira alongside an award.
The students’ outstanding performance was credited to the dedicated efforts of Teaching Practice teachers, Busari Timileyin Samuel and Popoola Blessing, from Obafemi Awolowo University and the students’ creativity.
The Teaching Practice program, which is supervised by the Faculty of Education, aims to provide prospective teachers with hands-on experience in classroom instruction.
The competition was organised by Raise Teens Foundation, which involved 11 schools around Ile-Ife and also tested students’ critical thinking, public speaking, and argumentation skills. Moremi High School’s impressive acts demonstrate the effective guidance provided by Teaching Practice teachers.
“We focused on developing students’ confidence and ability to articulate their thoughts and conduct research effectively,” said Popoola Blessing, a Teaching Practice Teacher.
“Registration for the program had already started by the time we got there due to some issues we encountered. I felt nervous and panicked a little when I saw students from other schools.
Initially, I prepared for the speech competition but was later informed a few hours before the competition that I would be participating in both the debate and speech presentations.
I expressed my concerns to my teacher about our chances of winning the speech competition due to the nature of the other competitors. It was a challenging moment. However, when the result of the speech competition was announced, I was overwhelmed to be announced as the second-place winner,” said Hassan Zainab.
“Even though I didn’t participate, I learned about debating rules. I discovered more about the advantages and disadvantages of self-esteem. Overall, I learned more about the value of positivity, and self-esteem,” said Jegede Cornelius.
Furthermore, the success of Moremi High School’s Debate team serves as a shining example of the transformative power of effective teaching.