By Elizabeth Osayande

NO fewer than 16  schools participated in the fourth edition of the Hands & Minds Schools competition hosted at Dome, David Christian Centre, Amuwo-Odofin area of Lagos State.

The event, themed: Outside the Box, and sponsored by ace financial institution, Grooming Centre, saw around 400 pupils in attendance, with about a quarter of the number participating in the dance, music and art competitions. Winners took home laptops and tablets among other prizes.

Organisers said the purpose of the annual competition, which began in 2017 but couldn’t hold in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was to help school children better appreciate their other individual abilities and talents outside academics.

Speaking with Vanguard, the founders of Hands & Minds Consult, Mr. Laurence Ekpe and Mrs. Iziegbe Ekpe, noted that lots of schools were paying little or no attention to extra-curricular activities whereas not everyone would end up a scholar. “This event is about the showcasing and the reward of talents in schools. It’s an avenue for children to come and showcase their God-given talents, because at Hands&Minds, we realise that there is little or no outlet for children to showcase their talents and get rewarded,” said Iziegbe.

“We see a lot of Spelling Bee, a lot of Mathematics competition, we see a lot of essay writing rewards, but we see little or no reward for creativity. Inasmuch as we recognise the place of academic geniuses, we also believe that all men are created with varying opportunities. So some can find theirs outside the curricula, outside the box.”

When asked about the rewards for the students’ performances, Iziegbe said: “When we first started in 2017, we were rewarding winners with materials that had to do with the classroom. We also rewarded their schools with satellite televisions for students to watch and entertain themselves. But today, we are rewarding them with technology, with computers and tablets to help them to stay in school and be tech-aware.”

The Ekpes added that Hands & Minds schools competition was majorly sponsored by Grooming Centre for Better Livelihood, a microfinance institution, whose Product Marketing Manager, Mrs. Sandra Oji, also spoke to Vanguard on why her company is investing in the competition.

In her words, “We [Grooming Centre] are the sponsors of this programme today, and the reason we invest in it is to encourage the little ones, that is the youths, and to bring out the talents in them.

“Apart from sponsoring social activities like this one, Grooming Centre empowers the active poor in the society. As a microfinance institute, we give small loans, SME loans and others to support the poor.”

Mrs. Oji also played a major role as one of the judges at the event. She was joined by actor and dancer Preere Opuofoni, and author and scriptwriter Mayowa Ojo.

Peculiar Treasure School emerged as overall winners of the music competition in the junior category,.while Ostra Heights secondary school came first in the senior category.

In the dance competition, Preserved Generation School clinched the top spot in the junior category with a superb choreographic performance. Cornerstone College bagged the top prize in the senior category,while St. Judes Secondary School won the art competition in the senior category.

Other schools present at the event included; Cedars Montessori School, Evaron Primary and Secondary Schools, Field Green Primary School, Loral international School, Moral Ville Academy, Clemmy High School, Molan High School, Robis Children Secondary School and Radiance High School.