United Bank for Africa (UBA) under its UBA Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm, has announced the maiden National Essay Competition for senior secondary school students in Uganda.
The competition provides a platform to develop the intellectual and writing abilities of senior secondary school students.
The competition will be held annually with students challenged to write on different engaging topics to test their writing and cognitive skills.
Speaking at the launch event, Chioma Mang, the UBA Uganda Managing Director/CEO, said, ‘United Bank for Africa is committed to the African youth and skilling them for future success. This is why, through the UBA Foundation, we have launched the National Essay Competition. We recognise the importance of good communication skills, and through this competition, we hope to equip and prepare the students to excel and take up leadership roles in the future.”
“UBA has also executed other CSR initiatives to support the education sector, such as the Read Africa Project, where the bank donates African novels to secondary schools across the country. This project encourages a reading culture at a young age and promotes African literature. UBA, through its foundation, will therefore continue to give back to the communities using similar CSR initiatives,” she added.
This year’s competition has been opened and the exercise of the application will go on up to August 24. The top ten best essays will be announced on August 29, while the top three essays and the winner will be announced on September 9.
Three crème de la crème judges have been chosen for the top universities in the country. These include Eve Nabulya (Makerere University), Joel Isabirye (KIU) and Lilian Lyabara (UCU).
The essays will be received at the UBA head office, branches, website, and social media platforms. The panel of judges, who are university lecturers and professors, will review the entries and select an initial shortlist for further assessment.
“This is a good initiative by the bank for students in Uganda. The Ministry of Education and Sports is happy to partner with UBA Uganda on this project. We pledge our support to ensure that all students across the country are aware, participate and submit compelling essays,” said Angella Naddamba, who was the chief guest at the launch event and a representative from the Ministry of Education and Sports.
She called on all teachers across the country to ensure the full participation of their students in the essay competition.
How to Participate:
Applicants must attach photocopies of their original National Identity cards.
Applicants must be senior secondary school students from Senior One to Senior Six.
Applicants should send in handwritten essay entries of not more than 750 words on the competition topic.
Applicants must submit their complete contact information (school name and residential address, phone number, and email address).
UBA Foundation National Essay Competition Topic:
“How did the COVID -19 pandemic affect you and what were your biggest lessons from it?”
UBA Foundation National Essay Competition Prizes:
1st Prize: Shs3.5m and a laptop
2nd and 3rd prizes: laptops and gifts from UBA