By Tare Youdeowei

Winner Green Essay Competition, Season 2, organized by Society for Environmental Toxicology and Pollution Mitigation, SETPOM, Ebere Maduewesi, an SS3 student and Library Prefect at Canon James Pearce Anglican College, Lagos, has disclosed that continually practising calculations after being taught in class is key to mastering calculations.

She said this to Vanguard Learning at the 2015 SETPOM International Conference and Fellows Award Conferment held in University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, where she was given a certificate and deep freezer.

“Calculations can easily be mastered with determination. I was not good in maths in SS1 but I communicated my weakness to my teachers who helped me through it. However, it is of note that Mathematics should be continually practised. If you are taught a topic, it is best to keep practising and not just dump it till the next class so that it can become a part of you.

“Junior students think science is all about medicine, I say this because most of them say they do not like the sight of blood so they cannot go to science class. They do not know there are other courses like engineering. There is also the fear of science subjects. To this I advice that if any of them has a passion for science but is scared of the subjects, they can go for lessons or be coached on the subjects to reduce their fear and stop being terrified of science class.”

On the essay titled domestic waste management and recycling as the best option, as opposed to disposal, Ebere disclosed; “I defined basic terms, highlighted waste management, explained solid and liquid waste, countries that have waste challenges and proffered solutions to reduce waste.

“Most times citizens are lazy, they dispose waste recklessly, even if they cannot personally recycle, it is their civic duty to bag waste properly.

“At a point I was tired of writing because it gave me stress and I was not feeling fine then. Nonetheless, I am thankful my teachers helped me a lot and gave me the courage to continue writing. Another challenge was balancing my studies with the preparation and research for the essay. I’m in SS3 and we take tests and class work periodically, so I had to read for all, they were clashing and it was not easy.

The competition, which is aimed at educating students, at a young age, on the need to participate in environment management and recycling, also saw Oyinkansola Olaseni of Yaba College of Technology Secondary School and Odife Favour of Cedec International Secondary School, come second and third respectively.

Ebere advised her fellow students to be themselves. “You do not need to follow others around to feel among, not be left out, or not be lonely, it is not true. If you can just settle down and remember that your main reason for coming to school is to get educated, pass exams and become someone in life, you will be better for it. Do not complain, all teachers do is so that we can learn. Do not feel shy to ask questions, teachers are there to help us excel.”