Six school pupils have emerged winners in speech writing at the fifth Korean Speech Competition in Abuja, winning cash sums of ₦20,000 and ₦30,000 to support their education.
The pupils – Operipo Esther, Soo Uke, Akande Toluwanimi, Maduka Providence, Aderogba Oluwaseyi and Afiniki Bossan – were awarded the prizes for displaying their communication skills in the Korean language.
The Korean Speech competition was organised by the Korean Cultural Centre of Nigeria and was aimed at encouraging bilateral educational relationships between Nigeria and Korea.
According to the director of the Korean centre, Han Sungrae:
“The competition is to assist language students to improve their communication skills in Korean language.
The pupils write about the Korean culture and compare it to the Nigerian culture. When the first prize winner emerges, we recommend them for visiting programmes. The judges will pick the recommended winner to visit Korea for certain duration, usually about a week.
We encourage people to learn more about Korea and its culture and language. The participants have improved greatly.
The intermediate groups started out as beginners, so this has made them very familiar with the programme and language.”