By  Sufyan Lawal Kabo

The 10^th Kano State ICT quiz for secondary schools held on 28^th November, 2013 at Rumfa Collage, Kano. Twenty eight (28) schools across the state participated in the competition. They were:

GSS Kunya                       GGSS Yargaya
GGC Gezawa                      Maitama Sule Science Secondary School, Gaya
GSS Garko                          GTC Kano
GGS Dala                            GSS Stadium
GSS Rano                           GSS K/Mazugal
GSS Gwarzo                      Day Science College, Kano (DSCK)
GSSS Giginyu                   Day Technical & Science College (DTSC) Kano
GGSS Jogana                    GGSS Gwale
GGSS Sani Mainagge      GGSS Kuka Bulukiya
GSS Bichi                            GGSS Kwankwaso
D/K Science College      GSS Dala
GGUC Kachako                GSS Bachirawa
GSS Shekara                      GSS Minjibir
GTC Ungoggo                   GGSS T/Wada

The quiz started with an opening prayer from one of the teachers of participating schools, followed by opening remarks by the representative of CITAD Executive Director, Malam Ahmad Abdullahi Yakasai, the Training Coordinator of CITAD who stood in for the CITAD Executive Director offered the welcome remarks, taking opporutity to explain the objectives of the quiz as a vehicle for the promotion of ICT literacy in the state and sensitization of school communities to the need for computers. He added that quiz was also to build ICT interest and instill in the minds of the students need the important of taking a career in the ICT profession. Equally impriantn he added was the quiz serves as an advocacy tool on the need for school proprietors and governments to provide computers and ICT facilities to the schools.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the quiz competition the General Manager of the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund who was represented by the Assistant Regional Manager Alh. Abubakar Shafi’u stated that ICT literacy was very important aspect in learning. In the past the computer study was optional but now he added was compulsory for every student in the country. The challenge most of the organizations are facing is that, most of their employees are not computer literate. He emphasized that now should either go and acquire the ICT knowledge or they should move you out. He then encouraged the students to make sure that they have acquire ICT skills since from right from school.

 Two students represented each of the schools and the questions were projected on the wall for them to select from the numerous ICT related questions compiled on a computer program that was specially designed for conducting quiz with more than 180 audiences (students and Teachers) in attendance. Malam Ahmad Yakasai who served as the quiz master informed the participants of the rules and regulation governing the quiz. The first round featured 10 schools (GSS Stadium, GGSS Kofar Mazugal, DSCK Kano, DTSC Kano, GGSS Gwale, GGSS Kuka Bulukiya, GGSS Kwankwaso, GSS Dala, GSS Bachirawa, and GSS Minjibir).  During the competition, the students performed wonderfully. Two schools (DSCK Kano and DTSC) answered all their five questions and scored 10 marks each while three others (GSS Stadium, GSS Bachirawa and GSS Minjibir) answered four questions and scored 8 marks each. In view of this, the chairman of the quiz competition announced that the two schools that scored 10 marks will automatically go to the final round while the schools that scored 8 marks would go for tie-breaker round to get the third school to join the two already qualified for the final round. The supplementary round was won by GSS Stadium emerged victorious.

 The second round featured 18 schools. At then of this round two schools tied with 8 points each. These were GGSS Sani Mainagge and Maitama Sule Gaya . having gotten the hightest points, they automatically qualified for the final round. To get the third school to qualify from the group, another supplemented round was conducted between six schools that scored in the preliminary round. At the end of this round, Dawakin Kudu Science Secondary School emerged top thus joined the GGSS Sani Mainagge and Maitama Sule Gaya as the finalists from the group

.Following the conclusion of the preliminary rounds, participants were given 30 minutes for lunch and prayers before the final. The following were the schools that participated in the final round: DTSC Kano, DTCK Kano, GSS Stadium GSS Sani Mai Nagge, Maitama Sule Gaya and Dawakin Kudu Science. After answering five questions three schools (DTSC Kano, DTCK Kano and GSS Stadium) emerge top, scoring 8 marks each. In view of these, the chairman announced the three schools with 8 marks each won the final round but additional round was needed to determine their raking. After this round, DTSC Kano finally emerged first, DTCK Kano came second and GSS Stadium came third.

 At the end of the quiz, dignitaries presented prizes to the winning schools, teachers and students. The third place prize, a printer provided by the MD of Intersystem Computer Institute, Kano, was presented to GSS Stadium by the Guest of Honor of the occasion, Alh Adam Muhd Adam of Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund. The second place position was a Desktop Computer provided by the Kano State University of Science and Tehcnolgy (KUST), Wudil was presented to DTCK Kano by the MD Intersystem Computer Institute who was represented by Mukhtar M. Aliyu. The top prize of Laptop donated by the Kano State Senior Secondary Schools Management Board has won by DTSC Kano.

 The teacher of the second and third place positions were given teacher branded wall clocks while the teacher of the winning school won a 17-inch television. Other prizes were closing materials for all the six finalist students. In addition, all participants and their teachers were each given the quiz branded t-shirts as well as certificate of participation.

 In his final remarks, the chairman thanked and congratulated all schools and commented that the essence of the quiz was not only to win the prizes but the knowledge, so the emphasis was on the knowledge we acquired not the prizes, he added. He asked the students not to considered the quiz as a pure competition, rather, a learning opportunity and it is not about winning but about participation, for in an event like this he said, there was no loser. He gave example with himself that he had acquired more knowledge on ICT as the competition was going on. He thanked the audience for being patient and to the contestants, he said he was highly impressed by their performances.  He implored them to embrace ICT for it was now the leading aspect in the world. At the end, he thanked the organizers of the quiz and commended them for their aptness and expertise.

 Mukhtar M. Aliyu who represented MD Intersystem commended the effort of the ICT quiz organizers and the participants. He then informed the gathering that Intersystem had awarded 100% scholarship to the participants of the 1^st and 2^nd place positions and 75% discount scholarship to the 3^rd place position.

 Malama Fatima Ibrahim, Gender Officer of CITAD made the vote of thanks; she thanked Almighty Allah who enabled us to see the end of this year’s quiz successfully. She acknowledged Kano State Secondary School Management Board for donating the laptop presented, Kano State University for Science and Technology for donating the Desktop Computer, Intersystem for donating the printer, CVL for supporting with T-shirts and CITAD for donating the 17” Television set and wall clocks. She also thanked SB Mai Sallah and sons for donating the Guinea Brocade materials. Equally,  she thanked the chairman of the occasion, Alh. Abubakar Shafi’u and the Guest of Honor, Adam Muhd Adam, for being with present from the beginning of the quiz up to the end despite their various schedules. She did not forget the effort of the teachers for coaching the students without who the quiz would not have been successful. She lastly expressed her dissatisfaction with the effort of female students, stating that in our previous quizzes female schools were among the winners but this year none of the female schools won the key prizes. So as a gender officer, she urged female schools to always gear up in preparedness for such an event in order to compete with their male counterparts. Lastly, she thanked all who attended the event, congratulated all the contestants and wished everybody a safe journey back to their respective destinations.