The SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition was introduced as part of the initiatives aimed at providing due recognition to the Founders of SADC for their contribution to the establishment of SADC and subsequent pursuance of a regional integration agenda.
The topic for the 2024 edition is; “What in your opinion has SADC achieved since its formation; and does it reflect the vision of its founders?”
Introduction: SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition.
The SADC Council of Ministers, during its meeting in August 2020, directed the SADC Secretariat to operationalise the initiative to recognise and honour the Founders of SADC. The initiative, as approved by the SADC Council, is aimed at providing due recognition to the Founders of SADC for their contribution to the establishment of SADC and subsequent pursuance of a regional integration agenda.
To this end, the SADC Secretariat is calling for submissions of essay entries from active tertiary institution going students . The wordings of the think piece and content should aim at promoting the role played by the Founders of SADC taking into account the prevailing peace and security in the region which contributes to the SADC’s Objectives and Common Agenda.
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Eligibility Criteria.
All active tertiary institution-going learners from all 16 Southern African Development Community (SADC) Member States are welcome to participate in the competition.
Objectives of the SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition.
The SADC objectives, as stated in Article 5 of the SADC Treaty (1992) are to:
- achieve development and economic growth, alleviate poverty, enhance the standard and quality of life of the peoples of Southern Africa and support the socially disadvantaged through regional integration;
- evolve common political values, systems and institutions;
- promote and defend peace and security;
- promote self-sustaining development on the basis of collective self-reliance, and the inter-dependence of Member States;
- achieve complementarity between national and regional strategies and programmes;
- promote and maximise productive employment and utilisation of resources of the region;
- achieve sustainable utilisation of natural resources and eective protection of the environment; and
- strengthen and consolidate the long-standing historical, social and cultural aaffinities and links among the peoples of the region.
The SADC Common agenda is linked to the SADC Objectives and is underpinned by a series of principles and policies including:
- promotion of sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development that ensures poverty alleviation with the ultimate objective of its eradication;
- promotion of common political values, systems, and other shared values, which are transmitted through institutions that are democratic, legitimate and effective; and
- promotion, consolidation and maintenance of democracy, peace and security
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How to Apply for SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition 2024.
In order to participate in the SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition, applicants should follow the instructions below.
SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition Application Instructions:
Essays are coordinated by the Ministries of Education in all respective SADC Member States. It is the responsibility of Government ocials in SADC Member States to submit the top 3 essays to SADC Secretariat for adjudication at regional level. NOTE: The Secretariat will not accept entries from individuals and as such those entries will be disregarded and disqualied.
The essay should be 4000 words.
Application Deadline: The SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition application deadline for submission of entries to Ministries of Education in respective SADC Member States is 29th February 2024. The deadline for submission of entries to the Secretariat by Ministries of Education is 31st March 2024.
All entries should be typed and submitted in both hard copies and electronic version in Microsoft Word document format. Entrants should sign and initial 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/or French.
All submissions must be accompanied by a SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition Entry Form which should contain full contact details of the entrant, including, passport-sized photograph, physical address, telephone, copy of national Identication card, copy of valid Student National Identication Card, fax number and email address; and contact details of the entrant.
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Benefits of the SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition.
The winning entry will receive a once o prize money which will cover the outright payment of the Intellectual Property Rights of the essay. The monetary prize will be accompanied by a certicate signed by the Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security His Excellency Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia. The prize for SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition will be paid directly to the winner in his/her home country through the Secretariat.
The prizes for the SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition are as follows;
- 1st prize = USD2000
- 2nd Prize = USD1500
- 3rd Prize = USD1000
- the top 10 winners will all receive certicates signed by the Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security.
Announcement of the SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition winners will be done through the SADC website (www.sadc.int) including its social media platforms on 17th August 2024.
The Secretariat reserves the right to use the essay as and when required, and the writer reserves the right to share/ distribute the essay outside the SADC Secretariat sphere without consequences, but will not distort the original content and meaning of the piece. The writer will not claim any future additional royalties or fees for the piece for future use by the Secretariat. The winning entry for SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition will remain the property of the SADC Secretariat.
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Application Documents and Forms.
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition 2024