STEM professionals are some of
the best critical thinkers that contribute significantly to solving societal problems
by innovating solutions through scientific discoveries and technologies. Remember
Albert Einstein, Michael Faraday, and Thomas Edison? Or most recently, Bill
Gates, the Late Steve Jobs, Oluyinka Olutoye, or Elon Musk?
STEM research has helped people
create technologies that cater for various human needs. For example, the mobile
telephone was created by someone who realized the need to communicate. This
innovation underscores the power of STEM research.
It is for this reason STEM
related jobs are in high demand across the world – they impact how our lives in
the future will unfold and, consequently, drive economic growth.
According to the U.S. Bureau
of Labour Statistics, STEM jobs are projected to grow by 8%, a higher rate than
non- STEM jobs, between 2017 and 2029.
To reduce the high level of
unemployment in Nigeria, stakeholders have advised the government and corporate
bodies to invest heavily in STEM education to create more opportunities for the
youth and boost job creation.
Stakeholders believe that if
Nigeria must compete globally, she must be deliberate about raising
scientifically literate people.
Against this backdrop,
Interswitch Group, a leading pan-African electronic payment, and digital
commerce company, introduced its pan-African National Science competition,
InterswitchSPAK Switch-a-Future initiative to help enhance the study of science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics in schools.
InterswitchSPAK is targeted at
inspiring and rewarding secondary school students in the study of STEM subjects
to enhance their potential in a bid to build the next set of innovators and
problem-solvers in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
Interswitch recently kicked
off the third edition of the InterswitchSPAK competition, tagged ‘InterswitchSPAK
3.0’. A total of 18,274 science students across the six geopolitical zones
registered for this edition. A total of
17,805 candidates completed the registration, while 10,502 candidates wrote the
exams online across the country.
About 35% of the registrants
came from public schools, while 65% of the students were from private schools. From
the first stage of the competition, 15-year-old Alao Oluwateniola from Divine
Step College, Lagos State, had the highest score of 93%, followed closely by 15-year-old
Okoro Halimah from Taidob College, Ogun State, who got the second-highest score
of 92%.
Overall, 81 students have
emerged as finalists to compete for the top three spots and win a scholarship
funds worth N12.5 million for tertiary education in the InterswitchSPAK
competition.
The winner will be rewarded
with a five-year scholarship in any tertiary institution worth N7.5 million, a
laptop, a plaque, and monthly stipends. The first runner-up will also be
awarded a three-year scholarship in any tertiary institution as well as a
laptop and a plaque totaling N4 million while the second runner-up will get one-year
scholarship of N1 million, a laptop, and a plaque.
The InterswitchSPAK platform
was designed to encourage the study of STEM education and excellence.
Undoubtedly, STEM is helping
to improve productivity and efficiency in all sectors of the economy. It is
thus important that we leverage it to reduce unemployment in the country. Most
importantly, we must do everything within our capacity to catch these children
young and nurture them to become experts and problem-solvers that will help
drive economic growth.
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