Educand Education Initiative (EEI), organisers of the annual SPELL&THRILL! competition intervention project has in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) pioneered the establishment of UNESCO Media and Information Literacy (MIL) clubs in Nigerian schools. This pioneering effort is with the support of the Swedish Government.
The pilot engagement, which had the participation of twenty SPELL&THRILL! coordinators, forty (40) SPELL&THRILL! ambassadors from twenty (20) SPELL&THRILL! compliant schools was held on the 29th of May, 2019 at the Curators Hub, Akure, Ondo State.
It had in attendance schools from Rivers, Enugu, Kogi, Osun, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti States. The participants were drawn from twenty (20) schools that had erstwhile featured in the annual SPELL&THRILL! competition.
SPELL&THRILL! is an annual spelling bee competition organised by Educand Education Initiative for students in primary and secondary schools. It is an avenue to improve their spelling skills, increase their vocabulary and improve their reading habit. It also seeks to build students’ self-esteem and confidence and their stage composure while also improving academic concentration and focus.
UNESCO’s MIL curriculum is designed to combat the propagation of hate speech, fake news and terrorism while fostering proper use of the internet, intercultural dialogue and cohesion among citizens. The curriculum is also geared towards helping teachers become more pragmatic towards their role as educators in this regard.
After the one-day training exercise, teachers and students from the pioneering SPELL&THRILL! compliant schools were saddled with the responsibility of inaugurating the UNESCO MIL club in their various schools.
The President of EEI, Mr. Ayotunde Ikulamberu said that activities are ongoing to scale up the reach of UNESCO MIL clubs to other Nigerian schools in the immediate future.
