The 'Pioneers of Success', a project established a few months ago, last Saturday organised a poem writing competition among students of Siffoe Upper Basic School.

The competition, sponsored by Jean Simoneau, a writer from Quebec, Canada and supervised by Karamo Barrow, a teacher at Siffoe Upper Basic School, was aimed at building the capacity of students in the art of writing, particularly in English and French.

Speaking to the Daily Observer, Karamo Barrow explained that 30 students took part in the competition, out of whom 10 emerged as winners.

According to him, the winners were awarded prizes mainly of learning materials. This initiative, he said, will go a long way in making students develop interest in writing, while hoping that the initiative will be extended to other schools, as the sponsor continues to look for more funds back home in Quebec, Canada.

"The Pioneers of Success also aims to build a strong bilateral relations between Quebec and The Gambia," Barrow said, while urging students to take up writing seriously.

He finally congratulated all the participating students on their efforts, and thanked the sponsor for contributing to the development of the education sector.