Learnspace Holds 1st Space Science And Astronomy Competition In Cross River

On Friday, 6th March 2020, at the Women Development Center Calabar, the Learnspace Foundation, a non governmental organization co-founded by Anne Agi, Esq, hosted the 1st Space Science and Astronomy competition in Cross River State.

The Competition which was tagged: “The benefits of space science and astronomy education in Nigeria”, was opened to secondary school students in Calabar.

The Foundation which is dedicated to promoting and increasing knowledge and interest in Space via space education in Africa, also aims to create opportunities for African students to take active part in the Space industry.

At the competition, Ms Agi, a space Law and Policy enthusiast and a trustee of the Foundation, noted that the aim of the competition is to promote the interest, involvement and knowledge of space science and astronomy among students by providing a fair and competitive environment for learning, interacting and the understanding of space science and astronomy. She added that the competition further encourages the development of space science as well as strengthens the inclusion of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) in the curriculum of academic institutions.

A total of ten schools in Calabar registered while only nine schools participated in the competition; including Lourdes Academy, Berith Academy, Hillcrest High School, St. Patrick’s College, Christian High School, Government Secondary School Akim, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria Secondary School, Hope Waddell Training Institution, Margaret Ekpo Secondary school, and St. Anne’s High School.

The schools partook in a quiz, poetry and public speaking competition. The quiz segment was open to a total of three participants from each schools with Lourdes Academy emerging as the winners, St. Patrick’s College coming up as 1st runners up and Hillcrest College emerging as the 2nd runners up. These positions were not only determined by their participation in the quiz but also by the cumulative scores gotten during the public speaking aspect of the competition.

The poetry competition was open to only female students, with each school entitled to one participant. All participating schools presented their poems titled ‘IF I COULD WALK ON THE MOON’, written by one female student and the 3 best poems were chosen to compete. The writers of the 3 best poems were required to publicly recite their poems. At the end of the poem presentation, which was judged by Mr. Augustine Ushie and his team of judges, Miss Agan Grace Ripeh from Lourdes Academy emerged as the winner, Miss Precious Ali from Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria Secondary School emerged as the 1st runner up, while Miss Rosseta Tegan From Christian High School came up as the 2nd runner up.

Winners of the Competition were awarded with plagues, certificates, writing materials and cash prizes; the Coaches, Institutions and all participating students were also presented with certificates of participation by a representative of the Director of Schools, Ministry of Education, Cross River State.

The Competition also hosted a lecture segment on the theme: “The benefits of space science and astronomy education in Nigeria”. Papers were presented by Mrs. Iroka Chidinma Joy, the Chief Engineer, Engineering and Space Systems Division of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) and by Ms Anne Agi who also represented Mrs. Iroka.

The trustees and volunteers expressed delight at being a part of history. Mr. Timothy Ogar, head of the Quiz Faculty, said he was impressed by the students as it was clear that they studied for the Competition and were knowledgeable on space history and surrounding affairs. He maintained that it was obvious that the aim of the competition had been achieved.

Co-founder of the Foundation, Ms Nelly-Helen Ebruka who also doubles as the President, ensuring the day to day running of the Foundation spoke of the passion of all trustees to revive the spirit of technological advancement in the African continent. She stressed that there was a need to ignite the love for science and technology in young people as they are the future of the continent and must be made to understand the benefits of space science and astronomy. She thanked the Foundation’s team of volunteers, noting that their contributions went a long way to making the event a success.

Ms Anne Agi explained that the Competition will be held annually as the Foundation believes that Space education is essential to the development of the society.

The Trustees of the organization are Ms Anne Agi, Esq, Miss Nelly-Helen Ebruka,  Mr. Augustine Ushie, Engr. Etim Offiong, Mr. Timothy Ogar, Mr. Joshua Faleti, Mr. Thankgod Egbe and Mr Abraham Eni.