By Michael Nnebife
It was a talents exhibition of sorts on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at Bubendorff Memorial Grammar School, Adazi-Nnukwu, in Anaocha Local Government Area, Anambra State, as the Education Department of the Awka Catholic Diocese, gathered its secondary school students for science and skills acquisition competition.
The competition, which was the first of its kind for secondary schools in the Diocese, focused on three areas: computer application, sewing and recycling, offering the participants an opportunity to showcase their talents, produce assorted household items, using waste materials; different styles of dressing alongside their matching jewelries; perfect working fan-inbuilt MP3, among others.
Leading 13 schools in Computer Application, were St Patrick’s College, Awka; St Albert the Great College, Agulu; and Loretto Special Science School, Adazi-Nnukwu, securing the first, second and third positions, respectively.
Their counterparts from St Anthony’s Catholic Comprehensive Institute, Agulu; Rev Fr Aaron Ekwu Memorial Secondary School, Amawbia; and Rosa Mystica High School, Agulu, led 12 schools in recycling, taking the first, second, and third positions, respectively; while St Patrick’s College, Awka, took the first position. St Peter’s College, Awka; and St Anthony’s Catholic Comprehensive Institute, Agulu, tied in scores to clinch the second position in sewing.
While assessing the products of the students, the Chairman, Awka Catholic Diocesan School Quiz Committee, and Education Secretary, Nimo Region, Rev Fr Evaristus Ibenegbu, rated the performances of the students very high, expressing surprise that the school children could come up with good works at that level, using less tools and bare hands, even without much training.
In an interview, the Chairman said the competition was aimed at bringing to the limelight the talents embedded in the children, and focusing their minds on skills acquisition.
Noting that the children might not necessarily become full-time practitioners of the skills they exhibited in the competition, Fr Ibenegbu emphasized the need for school children to learn how to use their hands as co-creators with God to conquer the earth, especially in Africa where, he said, creativity was becoming endangered species.
Ibenegbu added that the competition helped the school children to learn more about self-reliance, confidence and ability to bring out the best in them, especially now the youth were no longer interested in handwork.
While highlighting lack of basic facilities for effective implementation of skills acquisition programmes in schools, the Nimo Region Education Secretary appealed to school authorities and students to look inwards with a view to identifying how they would help themselves by way of skill acquisition and making practical work a priority over theoretical studies and knowledge.
’Schools should learn to provide machines, for instance, for shoemaking, sewing, haircuts, hairdressing, among others.
’Some boarding students may have ample time to use these machines to learn skills in schools, just the way they learn pianos in the area of music,’ the Education Secretary said.
He lamented that waste materials were about to chase people out of the environment, and advised people to think how to conquer the situation by converting the waste to useful materials.
This, according to him, was the whole essence of the recycling aspect of the competition.
The Chairman thanked the Bishop of the Diocese, Most Rev Paulinus Ezeokafor, and the Diocesan Education Secretary, Rev Fr Maximus Okonkwo, for providing the platform for the competition.
He expressed gratitude to the members of the competition committee and the panel for their contributions to the success of the exercise.
Also, the Education Secretary, Adazi Region, Rev Fr Chidi Jude Ozumba, described the competition as a thing of beauty and commended the organizers for a job well done, noting that the competition brought out the best in the participating school children.
’Through this competition, we have seen how creative these children are; we can see their sense of innovation in everything they did today.
’On the side of recycling, see how they were able to use plastic waste to design and manufacture so many things.
’If you take those products to marketplaces, people will be wondering the type of materials these children used to get those products in that manner.
’In the sewing section, given the time they were given, you can see how creative and fast they were by utilizing the time, and came up with beautiful dressings.
’When they wore them, you saw how fitted the beautiful dresses were on their bodies. They’re very very commendable,’ Fr Ozumba stressed.
’Sometimes, if we don’t engage these students, we can’t bring out the best in them.
’With these talents they showcased today, we can see that they can easily help themselves in life,’ Ozumba said.
’I’m so much happy that I’m part of this exercise. At least, I’ve seen so many potentials in our students,’ he added, noting that Catholic Diocese of Awka had shown the lead in that.
‘It is not all about preaching the gospel, it’s also about the physical aspect of helping people to develop their potentials.
’With this, Awka Diocese is no longer emphasizing only academic work, it is competing based on the skills the students showcased today.
’Once you have a skill and academic ability, the sky will be your starting point,’ the Region Education Secretary said.
Some members of the competition panel, Rev Sr Laudate Muoneke; Mr Frank Nwosu; Mr Chidi Alor; among others, rated the performances of the students high and advised the Diocese to make the competition a continuous exercise, so as to help the students master their skills and talents.
Similarly, the Awka Diocesan Education Department, has conducted the final session of the 2025-2026 Awka Diocesan Primary School Quiz Competition.
The Competition took place at Loretto Special Science School, Adazi-Nnukwu, on Thursday, February 26, with Holy Family Nursery & Primary School, Nawfia, and Handmaids Infant Jesus Nursery & Primary School, Awka, emerging as champions for the junior and the senior categories respectively.
Handmaids Infant Jesus Nursery & Primary School, Awka, and Sancta Maria Primary School, Adazi-Nnukwu, secured second and third positions respectively for the junior category, while St Lucy Nursery & Primary School, Ifite Awka, and Seat of Wisdom Primary School, Agulu, smiled home with the second and third positions respectively for the senior category.
Presentation of trophies to the schools which secured the first, second and third positions, was among the highlights of the two competitions that took place simultaneously, on Thursday, February 26.