Ethan Charles Mufuma, a 13-year-old student, was named the winner of the 2021 Junior Queen’s Commonwealth essay writing competition (QCEC) at a function held in London by Mr. Nathan Mckenzie, the Chief Operating Officer of the Royal Commonwealth Society.
The Uganda Martyrs Namilyango Junior Boys’ School in Mukono beat about 13,050 junior category entries. His winning entry was one of 48 submitted by Ugandan children to this year’s competition.
Ethan Mufuma is the son of Mr. Wilson Mufuma, a technician at Makerere University. He aspires to be a playwright and believes that winning the competition will open doors to success.
This year’s competition theme was “Community in the Commonwealth”. Ethan Charles’s poem titled “Okware the Pandemic Epic” helped him become the first African and Ugandan child to win this prestigious competition.
The Queen’s Commonwealth essay writing competition (QCEC) is the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools, founded in 1883, with thousands of young people taking part each year and open to nationals and residents of the Commonwealth’s 54 member states.
In a letter to Uganda’s chief commissioner to the United Kingdom, Mr. Mckenzie stated, “It gives me great pleasure to inform you that Mr Ethan Mufuma, an outstanding student from Namilyango junior boys school, has been selected as the junior winner of QCEC.
Unfortunately, UK’s Covid-19 restrictions will prevent us from bringing Ethan to London to meet with the other competition winners and attending the QCEC award ceremony at St James’ Palace on the 28th of this month. However, we have committed to bringing him to London next year.”
After hearing the news, Sr. Immaculate Nabukalu, Namilyango Junior Boys School headteacher, and the staff celebrated Ethan Charles’ victory.
“God has made it. This is not only a win for our school, Uganda, but Africa as a whole. Our pupil is the first African child to win this competition,” Immaculate Nabukalu said.
She added they engage learners in many competitions as a school because “we know a competitive mind is a creative mind”.
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