Press Week: Beautiful Beginning Academy wins NUJ-FCT 2026 media literacy quiz

By Gift ChapiOdekina, Abuja

Beautiful Beginning Academy, Abuja, has emerged winner of the 2026 Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council Secondary School Media Literacy Quiz Competition, defeating Cedar Hall Academy, Lugbe, in a tense tie-breaker contest.

The competition, organised by the NUJ-FCT Council on Thursday as part of efforts to revive press clubs in secondary schools and promote media literacy among students, saw four schools competing for top honours.

Beautiful Beginning Academy clinched victory after edging Cedar Hall Academy 8–6 in the tie-breaker round, following a deadlock at 205 points each at the end of the second round.

In the opening round, Government Senior Secondary School (GSS) Garki scored 70 points, while GSS Gwarimpa recorded 80 points. Cedar Hall Academy scored 95 points, while Beautiful Beginning Academy led the round with 115 points.

At the end of the second round, GSS Garki finished with 40 points, GSS Gwarimpa scored 80 points, Cedar Hall Academy earned 110 points, while Beautiful Beginning Academy secured 90 points to force the tie-breaker.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the NUJ-FCT Council, Comrade Grace Ike, said the initiative was designed to mentor young people on the workings of the media industry and encourage the revival of press clubs in schools.

She commended the participating students for their impressive performance and urged teachers to sustain activities that promote journalism and communication skills among students.

“Teachers, please organise your press clubs and, once in a while, host events and invite the NUJ-FCT Council, we will come,” she said.

Ike noted that the competition would strengthen media literacy, mentorship and community engagement among students across the Federal Capital Territory.

“The NUJ-FCT Council will continue to create opportunities that empower young people and promote educational and media-related activities within our schools,” she added.

Earlier, the Vice Chairman of the NUJ-FCT Council and Coordinator of Press Clubs, Yahaya Ndambabo, said the programme reflected the council’s commitment to promoting journalism, intellectual development and responsible communication among young people.

“The NUJ-FCT Council remains passionate about strengthening press clubs in our
schools,” he said.

“Through these clubs, students are encouraged to develop critical thinking, communication skills, confidence, leadership qualities, and an interest in journalism and public affairs.”
Representatives of the Secondary Education Board, teachers and other stakeholders attended the event.

Some students who spoke after the competition described the initiative as a welcome development and praised the organisers for introducing what they called a first-of-its-kind media literacy exercise for secondary schools in the FCT.

The event ended with the presentation of awards and cash prizes to the winning schools by the NUJ-FCT Council chairman, Comrade Grace Ike.

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