By Dipo Olowookere
Students in Senior Secondary Schools in Nigeria have been urged to write an article on the topic How can the capital market create a better future for all. The write is for the 2019 edition of the annual essay competition organized by the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).
The writing contest is mainly to develop a culture of wealth creation amongst our youth towards Building a Financially Savvy Generation. The NSE Essay Competition is one of t agency’s financial literacy and inclusion initiatives aimed at bridging the gap in classroom learning with the practical knowledge required for long-term personal financial planning.
Now in its 19th year, the annual NSE Essay Competition has inspired over 67,000 young people in more than 12,000 schools across Nigeria.
A statement issued by the NSE said interested students can begin to file in their essays from Monday, August 26, 2019 till Friday, October 18, 2019. The typewritten entries should not be more than 1,000 words and must be sent via email to [email protected]. An online submission form is also available on www.nse.com.ng and The Nigerian Stock Exchange’s Facebook page. Students can also submit to any NSE office across the country.
Speaking on the announcement, Mr Olumide Orojimi, Head of Corporate Communications, NSE, said that “the success of the NSE Essay Competition over the years continues to be encouraging and thus inspiring the Exchange to strengthen the initiative.
“This year, we are positioning this flagship financial literacy programme as a platform to educate the younger generation about innovative financial instruments such as green bonds which contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other related global commitments”.
“This year’s topic aims to tasks students on their understanding of the role of the capital market in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs). I, therefore, encourage parents and teachers to nudge their eligible children to participate in the NSE Essay Competition”, he added.
The top three winners of this competition will receive a combination of equity investments, scholarships towards their university education and laptop computers at the ceremony which is scheduled to hold on November 15, 2019.
The winners will also be honoured with a Closing Gong Ceremony at the NSE, and the schools of the top three winners will be recognised and presented with various prizes including trophies, desktop computers and printers.
Entries for the competition undergo three rigorous stages of review to ensure the best candidates emerge at the finals. At the first level, entries are graded by a team of examiners from the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS). Successful writers will proceed to the second stage by writing an in-person follow up essay on a related topic at any of the NSE branches closest to them to select the top ten finalists. At the NSE Headquarters in Lagos, the top ten finalists will be interviewed to select the top three winners.
Modupe Gbadeyanka