BOMARAH Foundation Rewards Winners of Lagos Schools and Teachers Competition

By Innocent Orok

The BOMARAH Foundation has rewarded outstanding students, schools and teachers who participated in the third edition of its schools competition organised to promote academic excellence, creativity and healthy competition among learners and educators in Lagos State.

The three-day event featured spelling bee contests for junior and senior secondary school students, quizzes and debates involving students and teachers. The participating schools were selected by Lagos State Education District III.

Five schools competed in each of the junior and senior secondary school categories, following a selection process involving 25 schools from the education district.

The participating junior secondary schools were Falomo Junior High School, Ireti Junior High School, Girls Junior Grammar School, Okesuna Junior High School and Eko Akete Junior Secondary School.

The senior secondary schools included Falomo Senior High School, Ireti Senior Grammar School, Okesuna Senior High School, Girls Senior Secondary Grammar School and Eko Akete Senior Grammar School, Lagos Island.

The preliminary competitions were held from October 7 to 8, 2026, at St. George’s Primary School, Falomo, while the grand finale took place on Monday, October 12, at the MUSON Centre, Lagos Island.

At the end of the competition, the first-place school winners received ₦250,000 in cash, school bags, medals and other gifts. Second-place winners received ₦150,000 and other gift items, while third-place winners received ₦100,000 and additional gifts.

In the teachers’ category, the first-place winner received ₦200,000, the second-place winner ₦150,000, and the third-place winner ₦100,000, alongside other gift items.

Speaking at the grand finale, the president of BOMARAH Foundation, Hajia Bola Muse, said the competition had grown significantly since its inception three years ago.

“Three years ago, we started with a dream. Today, that dream is standing tall before you,” she said.

The theme of this year’s competition was “Building Brighter Minds Through Healthy Competition.”

According to Muse, the theme reflects the foundation’s belief that education should go beyond examination performance to promote character development, confidence, collaboration and creativity.

She described healthy competition as an important tool for developing students’ abilities and preparing them for future responsibilities.

Reflecting on the foundation’s activities, Muse said the first edition in 2024 involved five schools in Lagos State. She added that the foundation provided motivational sessions for students and teachers and awarded full scholarships to 10 orphans and vulnerable children, which she said had continued.

For the second edition in 2025, she said the programme expanded to 10 schools across Lagos State and surrounding areas. The foundation also introduced the Teachers Current Affairs Challenge to recognise teachers’ contributions to education.

Muse further stated that the foundation’s other initiatives included a family food support programme that reached 750 families during Ramadan and Christmas, a back-to-school project that distributed more than 1,200 school bags, books and uniforms, and a teacher capacity-building workshop organised in partnership with the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).

She also said 100 women received start-up grants through the foundation’s support programme for widows and mothers.

Speaking about the 2026 edition, Muse described it as a significant expansion of the competition, noting that 20 schools registered for the programme.

She said the categories included junior and senior secondary school quizzes, spelling bee contests, an advanced current affairs challenge for senior secondary school teachers, debates and STEM innovation.

The foundation’s president also expressed appreciation to sponsors, donors, technical partners, volunteers, judges, school administrators and parents for their contributions to the event.

She commended the judges for maintaining fairness throughout the competition and thanked the participating schools for allowing their students and teachers to take part.

Addressing the contestants, Muse said the knowledge, confidence and friendships gained through the competition were more valuable than the awards themselves.

“As I declare this third edition grand finale open, I pray that from this hall will emerge future doctors, engineers, teachers, leaders and innovators who will make Nigeria proud,” she said.

The competition is part of the foundation’s efforts to encourage academic development and recognise the contributions of students and teachers to education.