SADC Secondary School Essay Competition 2021 for students from SADC Member States (USD$ 3,250 Prize)

Application Deadline: 30 APRIL 2021.

The Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is pleased to announce the launch of the 2021 SADC Secondary School Essay Competition.

The SADC Secondary School Essay Competition is open only to secondary school students from the SADC Member States; Angola, Botswana, Union of the Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The top three (3) prize winners will receive their prizes and certificates on the margins of the 41^st SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government to be held in Lilongwe, Republic of Malawi in August 2021.

The SADC Secondary School Essay Competition was established in 1996 to recognise best students work in disseminating information on SADC to support the process of regional co-operation and integration in the region.

Prize:

The first prize winner receives US$1,500, second prize winner receives US$1,000 and the third prize winner receives US$750.

The Secretariat is further advising interested students to obtain more information and entry forms from their schools in their respective Member States. Completed forms, with all required information typed-in must be submitted to the school on the date advised.

The topic for the 2021 SADC Secondary School Essay Competition is “How has SADC contributed to peace and security of the region in the last 40 years and how can SADC consolidate peace going forward?” The topic is derived from the theme of the 40th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government held virtually and hosted by the Republic of Mozambique on 17th August 2020, which is; “SADC: 40 Years Building Peace and Security, and Promoting Development and Resilience in the Face of Global Challenges”.

INSTRUCTIONS:
The essay should be 1000 WORDS. The deadline for submission of entries to the Secretariat is 30 APRIL 2021.

All entries should be typed and submitted in electronic version in Microsoft Word document format, and in hard copies. Entrants should sign and initialise each page of the hard copy document to make sure that they have not been altered. All essays entering the competition should be in one of the SADC working languages, i.e. English, Portuguese and French. All submissions must be accompanied with a SADC Secondary School Essay Competition

Entry Form which should contain full contact details of the entrant, including, passport-sized photograph, physical address, telephone, fax number and email address; and contact details of the entrant’s parent or guardian.

MARKING GUIDELINES:
The set of questions below are meant to guide entrants when responding to the question above. In answering the
question above, secondary school learners should ensure that they address the questions listed below in their
essays;

Discuss some of the key objectives for the formation of SADC and the instruments that were put in place to achieve the set objectives and mandate (250 words, 20 points)
The apartheid system in South Africa had many negative effects for the SADC region. Explain how the system posed as a threat to peace and security in the region and how the region worked collectively to end the system (250 words, 20 points)
One of the major aims of SADC is to build peace, stability and security. According to your understanding discuss what you think is the best approach to mitigating internal and external conflicts and highlight through examples on how SADC has over the years successfully worked as a collective to ensure peace, stability and security. (250 words, 30 points)
Discuss in general the threats to peace, security and stability which the SADC region is facing now and how the region can address these threats in order to maintain peace and stability in the years ahead, using contemporary approaches to conflict, violence, security, peace and development. (250 words, 30 points).

For Enquiries

Contact the Communications and Public Relations Unit at the SADC Secretariat; email: [email protected] or telephone +267 395 1863

LAUNCH PACKAGE

ENTRY FORMS

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the SADC Secondary School Essay Competition 2021