By Alao Adamadamosi Sunday arpa
It is Speech and Prize Giving season across Kogi State. In the coming weeks, in schools from Lokoja to Okene, children will don their finest uniforms, parents will fill the halls with pride, and a few students will mount the podium to receive golden shields and trophies as “Best Student,” “Most Brilliant Pupil,” and “Overall Best.”
But while we applaud the few, let us ask ourselves: what message are we sending to the many who sit quietly in the audience?
I write to draw the urgent attention of the Kogi State Commissioner for Education, Hon. Wemi Jones, to this matter. This is not a call to scrap prizes—it is a call to expand our definition of excellence. And given the Commissioner’s demonstrated commitment to reforming Kogi’s education sector, he is uniquely positioned to lead this change.
Hon. Wemi Jones has not been a passive administrator. In just the past year, his Ministry has banned incessant graduation ceremonies to ease the financial burden on parents , enforced the Kogi State Education Law 2020 , rolled out a new school curriculum , and championed the Annual School Census for data-driven planning .
This is a Commissioner who does not shy away from difficult decisions. He has shown he can say “no” to long-standing practices that hurt families and students . Now, I urge him to say “yes” to a more inclusive vision of academic recognition—one that takes effect in the next academic calendar.
Every year, the same few children walk to the front smiling while dozens of others sit quietly watching. Many adults do not realize that some children go home that day believing they are failures.
Imagine a child who started the term unable to identify letters but can now read simple sentences. Imagine a child who moved from 15% to 60% through sheer grit. Imagine a child who fought through sickness, family problems, or learning difficulties and still showed up every day.
Then the message they receive at the party is: “You are not the best.”
And we wonder why some children gradually lose confidence in themselves.
Education should not be a competition where only the fastest child is celebrated. A school is not a race track. The purpose of education is growth. The child who improved from 20% to 60% may have worked harder than the child who scored 95%. Yet one receives a trophy while the other receives applause and goes home empty-handed.
Before someone says, “Life is competitive,” remember: these are children. Confidence is built before competition is introduced. A child who believes in himself will compete better in the future than a child who grows up feeling inadequate.
I propose the Kogi State Ministry of Education issues a directive to all public and private schools, effective next academic session, mandating the inclusion of categories such as:
· Most Improved Learner – because progression is the true metric of education
· Best Reading Progress – to reward the child who conquered the fear of letters
· Most Helpful Classmate – to teach that character is just as important as IQ
· Outstanding Effort Award – because trying when it is hard is heroic
· Most Resilient Learner – because showing up and refusing to give up is a skill
This is not about removing excellence—it is about expanding it. Private school proprietors, who have already shown willingness to cooperate with the Ministry’s policies , would likely embrace a framework that celebrates more children.
Hon. Commissioner, you have already proven that Kogi State can lead educational reform in Nigeria. You have banned exploitative graduation ceremonies , enforced quality assurance standards , and dedicated 30% of the state budget to education . This is the next frontier.
I urge you to direct your Ministry to develop a policy guideline for Speech and Prize Giving Day that mandates a “Growth and Effort” award category alongside traditional academic prizes. Let this take effect in the 2026/2027 academic calendar—just as you have set timelines for other reforms .
Every child has something worth celebrating. Let us raise a generation of confident children who keep improving, not discouraged children who believe success belongs only to a chosen few.
– Alao Adamadamosi Sunday, arpa writes from Lokoja.
