Human Rights: Amnesty international begin schools debate, awards N2.2m to winners

The Amnesty International Nigeria, connected Thursday, successful Asaba, Delta, flagged disconnected its maiden secondary schools statement arsenic portion of its activities aimed astatine catching them young and gathering quality rights champions.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event, themed “Secondary Schools Debate: Becoming a Child Rights Champion,” was aimed astatine ensuring that the students cognize their rights and assertion them.

Miss Rejoice Ilozor of Brain Theater Academy emerged wide victor of the statement with a currency prize grant of One Million Naira.

While Miss Onyedikachukwu Anaziah of Mable Hill School and Master Ezeike Akachukwu of Africa Elites College emerged successful 2nd and 3rd positions, winning N750,000 and N500,000 currency prizes respectively, with Other participating schools receiving consolation prizes.

Speaking, the Programme Manager, Amnesty International Nigeria, Barbara Magaji, said the statement was to prosecute the students connected quality rights issues.

She noted that the topics for the debates were cautiously chosen to sensitise the students connected their rights, adding that astir children were not knowledgeable astir their rights.

Magaji said that 10 secondary schools were invited to the programme, but six schools participated successful the debate.

“As an organisation, we bash quality rights acquisition and arsenic portion of our strategies, we organised debates. We person ever done debates with students astatine the tertiary levels but this is the archetypal clip we are doing this among secondary schools,” she said.

According to Magaji, cascading the statement down to the secondary schools volition assistance drawback them young due to the fact that it is from secondary schools that they migrate to the higher institutions.

“So, it is amended to groom the children present to cognize their rights and from what we person seen today, the students person done well,” Magaji stated.

She said that present that the process has started successful Delta, the statement would beryllium taken done different states, positive the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to sensitise them connected their rights.

“So, the archetypal happening is that we are present to pass the children astir their rights; successful this debate, each the topics person 1 contented of quality rights oregon the other;

“The rights of children to prime but besides the parental guidance of choosing their career, schools, staying with relatives, among different topics, were debated to exposure them to cognize their rights and to prosecute successful steadfast competitions among their peers.

“The children done this sensitisation volition go knowledgeable astir the Nigeria nine and astir amnesty,” Magaji said.

She noted that the prizes were designed to enactment the students’ acquisition and for their well-being.

Magaji announced that the archetypal prize of 1 cardinal Naira, the 2nd and 3rd prizes of N750,000 and N500,000 respectively, were for the participants and not for their schools.

“The schoolhouse mightiness get a plaque oregon certificate for information but the credence goes to the debating students. Even astatine the tertiary institutions, we springiness the prize wealth to the students,” she said.

On her part, the Team Administrator, Amnesty International Nigeria, Deborah Godwin, congratulated the students, thanked the judges and the teachers for the large efforts, portion charging the students to cascade immoderate they person learnt to their schools and friends.

“Spread the gospel of quality rights, arsenic you learn, survey more, you should cognize that your rights and the rights of others are important. So, cascade immoderate you person learnt to your friends, schools and astatine location to beforehand quality rights.”

On her part, the Lead Judge astatine the Schools Debate, Associate Prof. Uche Oboko, lauded Amnesty International Nigeria for the programme.

“I privation to convey Amnesty International for organising specified an world exercise. For me, it is besides a learning curve. This statement goes to archer america that Amnesty is cardinal to quality rights.

“And from the topics discussed here, you tin spot that everybody is excited and from the responses, it is evident that the students are brilliant, outstanding and fantabulous from the mode they were capable to reason their points,” she said.

Oboko added that it was important that the children cognize their rights and what they stood for, “so, erstwhile determination is simply a usurpation of immoderate of specified rights, you outcry out.”

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