Results of the 2013 EssayCompetition by The Nation CAMPUSLIFE-Nigeia in collaboration with Blantyre newspaper – Malawi and AfricanLiberty.org Powered by Network for a Free Society .
The score ranges from 10 percent to 74 per cent, with the highest being 74 percent and the lowest score being 10 per cent. The scoring was done using four major marks-allocating standards to judge how each essay was able display knowledge and understanding of the issue. The grading categories are:
1) The understanding and discussion of the issue: This looked out for the level of knowledge, understanding and the discussion of the issue as displayed in the write up. It also looked out for the level of familiarity with the libertarian philosophy, which underpins the topic. This carried 50 percent.
2) Presentation and structure of the essay: This looked into how the argument was presented, the writer’s style and words and his creativeness. This carried 20 percent.
3) Originality: This relates to how the writer credited those s/he used their works. The point is to observe how the writer is able to differentiate between his original thoughts and that of others, or thoughts obtained from elsewhere. We however disqualified some essays for outright plagiarism. You should understand that work must be credited to the person who wrote it and that no one else can take chunks of it and claim it as their own. The wordings that were actually copied must be shown in quotation marks and credited at the bottom of the paper to the actual author. The materials we gave you and posted on our website is to assist in your understanding of issues and writing, it is wrong to copy directly without crediting the Author. This carried 20%
4) Grammar: This looked into the correctness of the English and the level of observance of the rules of grammar taking into consideration different regional blocs. This carried10%
The 1st to 3rd position will be engaged in another round of debate during the Students and Young Professional African Liberty Academy (SYPALA) at the Kabarak University, Nakuru-Kenya between Aug 14-17. Winners should get in touch with Adedayo Thomas at adedayo.thomas@gmail.comto redeem their prizes.
The Winners are:
1st–Shafic Osman, Economics and Modern Languages .University of Ghana
2nd—Joseph S. Timothy- (Ekiti State University. Ado Ekiti. Nigeria) and Oluyemi George (University of Abuja. Abuja .Nigeria)
3rd—Ezeh Kelechukwu Dennis. Political Science.University of Nigeria.Nsukka. Nigeria and (Oladimeji Oguntoyinbo Yusuf – Federal University of Agriculture,Abeokuta. Ogun State. Nigeria )
Consolatory Prizes
-Wiredu Darlington Kwabena. (University of Ghana Business School Legon, Accra)
– Oloo Dickens (School of Economics -University of Nairobi, Kenya)
– Chaerles Ephraim Makwiza (University of Malawi. Malawi)
– Onduru Julius Ouma (South Esathern University. Kenya )
– Cheluget Franklin Kosgei (Law, Kabarak University Kenya )
– Peter Leonard Yakobe (African Bible University of Uganda )
– Zebidah wankiku Manyara ( Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.Kenya )
[photo: The Nation Newspaper, caption; previous winners]
