By Oghenefego Obaebor
Senior Secondary Students who are good at Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects stand the chance to get N7.5million scholarship, as Interswitch Group, a leading Nigerian Pan-African digital payment and commerce solutions company vowed to reward winners in the InterswitchSPAK National Science competition.
The competition, which is targeted at SS2 students aged between 14 and 17 years, is the CSR initiative of the company.
Disclosing this recently during a press briefing in Lagos, the Group Chief Product and Marketing Officer, Interswitch, Cherry Eromosele explained that competition focuses on driving the increased interest in the study of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects among Senior Secondary School students across Nigeria.
‘’The aim of InterswitchSPAK is to encourage and guide the students along career paths that will help them achieve full optimization of their potentials and dreams to become inventors or entrepreneurs,’’ she said.
According to her, the competition will kick off with a national qualifying examination from which 81 finalists will emerge to compete at the InterswitchSPAK TV quiz competition, adding, ‘’
The InterswitchSPAK programme includes a Master-class, an Innovation Challenge and a TV quiz competition around STEM subjects.’’
Eromosele, who urged all eligible students to participate and register in this second edition, stressed that the importance of STEM education cannot be over-emphasized in our society in view of current societal challenges.
She said: “At Interswitch we understand that technology is key to solving most of our challenges in Africa. Promoting and rewarding excellence in STEM subjects among
secondary school students is our way of preparing the younger generation to take up this challenge”.
Speaking on the registration process, Enyioma Anaba, Group Head, Brands, at Interswitch Group, explained that the competition is open to girls and boys in public and private secondary schools in Nigeria, aged between 14 and 17 years. She further explained that new.
schools are required to first register on the InterswitchSPAK platform before registering their students, while returning schools can directly register their students.
Each such school
is expected to register six students each, at least two of which must be girls. Registration is done online at www.interswitchspak.com
The overall winner will be awarded a five-year scholarship in any tertiary institution, a laptop, a gold trophy and monthly stipends throughout the duration of the scholarship, all totalling N7.5million.
