Permanent Secretary Advocates Integration Of Tourism In Schools’ Quiz Competitions

UYO
With heightened momentum on tourism by the governor of Akwa Ibom, Pastor Umo Eno, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mrs. Grace Akpan, has called for the integration of tourism in Schools Challenge Programmes in the State.
  Akpan made the call, Thursday, during a courtesy call on her by a State-based NGO, Wilhenry Education Foundation, led by the project director, Mr. Inore Umoh.
  The permanent secretary said there was need for teachers in the State to educate their students about their environment, particularly natural endowments and tourist sites, during General Studies classes, and, therefore, made a case for the integration of tourism in Schools’ Quiz competitions.
  Akpan commended the Foundation for taking up School Challenge Programme in schools across the State capital, emphasising that with the ARISE Agenda placing high premium on tourism, it was expedient for students, across the State, to have knowledge of the ARISE Agenda and Tourism, which is gathering momentum in Akwa ibom.
The permanent secretary restated that students in Akwa Ibom should be able to list with ease tourist sites such as the Ibeno beach, Ibom International Hotel and Golf Resort, Unity Park, Victor Attah International Airport, Ibom Tropicana Mall, Mary Slessor Cairn, the mystical Blue River and Ibom Plaza, among others and urged the Wilhenry Foundation to integrate such areas in their Schools Quiz competition, in order to keep the students alive to their environment.
She noted that most of the tourist attractions in Akwa Ibom were already in history textbooks such as the Amalgamation of Nigeria by Lord Frederick Luggard, the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade and the Abolition of the killing of Twins by Mary Slessor and implored the Foundation to integrate them in their School Challenge as all those global historic events took place in Akwa Ibom.
Earlier, the project leader of the Wilhenry Education Foundation, Mr. Inore Umoh, had said they were in the permanent secretary’s office, to  familiarise with her and indeed the entire Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and also to solicit support for the School Challenge Programme which will be carried out among 16 secondary schools in the State capital on Science and General Studies in May 2025.
Mr. Inore Umoh said the Foundation, which is about a decade old in operation, has so far engaged in the rehabilitation of Science Laboratories for three schools in the State and is currently working on growing students’ interest in Science subjects with the introduction of Quiz Competitions in Sciences amongst students in the State.
The team lead intimated that the Foundation had been following the works of the Ministry, online, and has been very impressed with the permanent secretary’s performance.
He congratulated her for the high level promotion given to tourism and indeed the ARISE Agenda in her regular featuring in the media and urged the permanent secretary to keep up the good work.
Among members of the Foundation who accompanied the project leader on the courtesy call were the treasurer, Ubeka Charles and the coordinator, Logistics, Diamond Inyang.
Highlight of the event was the presentation of gift to the permanent secretary, Mrs. Grace Akpan, by the Foundation.