My Neighborhood Watch #39 - Reporting Events Around us

Hello great watchers I greet you all, welcome to to my blog, I bring you a report of the events that has been going on in my city, Uyo Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

In the past months many schools and colleges in the city of Uyo have continued to witness the event of mathematics scholarship award conferment on students that score above 70 per cent in the last term's examination.This bold and rare move of hope and motivation is to nurture, encourage pupils and students by means of scholarship programme and award to take mathematics subject seriously and at the same time not to think mathematics as a horrific subject that scares. The programme is proudly sponsored and organised by a NGO, United Support Foundation with affiliation to a charity organisation in the USA.

Left: The PTA Chairman,Middle: The Maths Teacher,Right: The Event Coordinator

According to the coordinator of the scholarship programme, Mr Aniekan Ikon, the aim of such demonstration is to provide financial aid and other tangible support to pupils and students from average homes to gain access to quality education by a means of scholarship. Also to encourage students to love mathematics, learn mathematics without fear, understand mathematics as a score science subject that needs to be studied assiduously in order to be selected for international recognition.

To join with other schools for such outstanding award and recognition, my school, Greenpears International School, Akapsask, Uyo was not left out to array it's students as ambassadorial nominees in penultimate weeks ago. Yesterday the 13th of March, 2024 at 8: am, the students and pupils were gathered at the school's arena to mark the event. The whole school went agog when they the saw the calibre of personalities and parents who were invited to grace the occasion in order to celebrate with their children.

Cross section of pupils and students

Mr Aniekan cheered the students and pupils who scored above 70% and referred to them as ambassadors of mathematics. In his remarks the students after today will go for inter-school mathematics competition to test them to compete with other students in other schools within the state first, so that the best will be selected for a national and international scholarship. He introduced to the students the mathematics dictionary where the English alphabet is changed into mathematical alphabet, where according to him A stands for Abacus, B for Bar chart, C for circle, D for data while E stands for Equation. This was quite strange to many including the teachers as most of us heard this for the first time.

During the time for presentation of the award certificate a, many students and their parents came out to receive and took a picture after collection. Among all, my class students JSS 2 A collected the highest numbers. The reason being that the class is highly competitive in learning and performance so much that in a class of 14 students only two was left to score above 70% in Maths and English, the rest of the twelve usually score above this average. This made me proud and happy as a class teacher to have my students having such recognition.I took picture with with most of them.

Some of my student awardees and I

	SA by the left and the parent of the awardee by the right
	I and my colleague and friend @eveetim at the event

A situation happened that would have turned the bundle of excitement into a glare of sadness when suddenly an onset of emotion began to come in when some students, one precisely my students came crying profusely for not being nominated for the award. I was so touched by his tear drop because I can attest this boy to be very intelligent. Infact he always takes second in the class and had scored above the 70% requirement and I forwarded his name but was shocked to noticed him not being called out.

It was later discovered that his nomination form was missed at the admin office. I took him by the hand and reported the problem to the organisers to reconsider him for the second chance, they were nice enough to accept the move and asked me to refill his next entry which I did, and he was pacified, now eagerly waiting to receive his award.

	The Award Certificate
	Mathematics Dictionary on sale

The book of Mathematics and the dictionary was sold to parents at the book-stand at the rate of ₦3,500 with a card for free ICT training according to them. The parents were so happy purchasing the text not minding the cost, they were carried away by the feeling of happiness and pride to see their children and them standing on stage cheered to a receipt of an award of scholarship in view and certificate recognition on mathematics performance. There were some parents whose three children received the award recognition. I could notice a tear of joy from poor school's bus driver whose daughter merited such great award.

The coordinator when he chanted the students as ambassadors of Mathematics

The events came to a close with the School administrator, Mrs Linda Ekon and the PTA chairman, Pastor Joseph Anele giving a vote of thanks and appreciation to the organisers, parents teachers and the students as a whole. The organisers of the events departed the school's compound headed to another school as a continuation for the same programme.

I invite my able coaches and friends @ngoenyi, @goodybest, @okere-blessing to join me on this.

Cc;@xkool24

Blessing Emmanuel

reporting from Uyo
The capital of Akwa Ibom State

Photo credit
My mobile phone : Techno Spark8