How Seplat is driving academic excellence through investment in extra-curricular activities
Over the years, private sector players have initiated programmes and projects to improve the dwindling education system in Nigeria and by so doing boost academic performance of pupils, particularly at the secondary school level. Despite the Coronavirus (Covid-19) drawback in education, some organisations have continued to deploy mechanism to tackle learning challenges. Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc through its Pearls quiz initiative is creating opportunities that enable school children to harness their potentials Amidst Covid-19 pandemic.
Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is grappling with a growing population of secondary school pupils looking for avenues to let out their innate skills, even as the country battles to address youth restiveness, idleness, illiteracy, growing number of out-of-school children, among other issues.
It has become very worrisome that deficient school curricula and lack of proper investment in infrastructure for extracurricular activities have contributed to the failure of schools to provide their pupils with the appropriate outlets to exhibit their skills.
Industry watchers believe that it has become imperative that pupils across secondary level are provided with the opportunity to learn quiz skills and if the right investment in such activity in schools is put in place, it will significantly improve the mental and leadership characteristics of these pupils.
Indeed, it could be argued that very few private sector organisations understand the critical role promoting and rewarding academic excellence in education could play in Nigeria’s quest to remaining relevant in the global human capital development index than Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc does.
In keeping with its mission aimed at addressing Sustainability Development Goal 4 to promote and reward academic excellence as well as improving the quality of education among secondary school students, Seplat in a Joint Venture (JV) partnership with the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), was able to deploy innovative technology for students to write the qualification test online for its Pearls Quiz initiative designed to improve the quality of education among secondary school students in Edo and Delta States, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2012, SEPLAT instituted a Joint Venture (JV) partnership with the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) to inspire excellence in students of public and private secondary schools in their host states.
The company has through the PEARLS Quiz initiative provided scholarships to 63 students, implemented projects valued at over N30million in more than eight schools, given out four brand new 16-seater buses, as well as consolation prizes to the last seven schools every year since inception.
Recently, the company just concluded the Pearls quiz challenge, a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme in its host states Edo and Delta.
This 2020 edition commenced over six months ago when a total of 574 schools started vying to reach the much-coveted final stage of the competition. After several rounds of rigorous and challenging stages of the competition, four schools emerged and advanced to the grand finale. St. Michael College, Benin City, Edo State and Mc Nell Academy Secondary School, Sapele, Delta State, competed for the first and second place trophies and St. John’s Academy, Oleh, Delta State while Gloryland Secondary School, Igarra, Edo State, tussled for the third place.
There was tension and excitement in the air at the Imaguero College Hall in Benin City which was filled with students and dignitaries from the government of both states and select community leaders. The four schools held the audience spellbound with their exhilarating performance. St. Michael College, Benin City, Edo State, emerged the overall winner of the competition; while Mc Nell Academy Secondary School, Sapele, Delta State and Gloryland Secondary School, Igarra, Edo State, emerged second and third positions, respectively.
The winning schools and students went home with exciting prizes with the first prize school winning N7million project-based cash and N100,000 scholarship grant to the three students that represented the school. The second prize of N3million project-based cash and N75,000 scholarship grant, went to the three winning students. The third prize of N1million projectbased cash and N50,000 scholarship grant went to the three winning students. Teachers of all qualifying schools also benefited from Seplat’s largesse as they smiled home with attractive prizes.
Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc chief executive officer, Roger Brown in his remarks, expressed delight that through this programme, 45,140 students have been positively impacted. He noted that many schools have benefited as their infrastructure and projects such as; language laboratory, three roofing projects, block-of-classrooms, interlocking stones for entire school premises designed to stave off erosion, five computer laboratories deployed in different schools and four brand new school buses, have all received a boost. According to him, “This programme rekindles the spirit of academic excellence and healthy competition in our youths by motivating, encouraging and rewarding the scholarship spirit in them as they inculcate the principles of teamwork and hard work.”
The general manager, external affairs and communications at Seplat, Chioma Nwachuku, said the quiz competition is designed to rekindle the spirit of healthy competition in youths by motivating, encouraging and rewarding the ethos of scholarship while providing them the right platform to prepare for their examinations. She noted that promoting educational excellence remains a cardinal objective to Seplat, hence the various educational programmes in its host communities.
“In deploying the programme this year amid the Covid-19 pandemic, we had to become innovative and had all the schools write the qualification test online with Seplat providing data for all,” Nwachuku said.
Impressively, students in Delta and Edo States have maintained very high success rates in external examinations such as the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC).
Nwachuku said the outcome over the years had shown the need to encourage the students to continue their display of brilliance, intelligence, and talents.
She commended the schools and students that participated in this year’s quiz; despite the prevailing pandemic, noting that the turnout showed the resilience and indomitable spirit for which the Seplat Pearls quiz participants are renowned.
The Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Ltd (NPDC) official, Efifia Chu, deputy manager, Seplat Joint venture commended all participants for taking advantage of the Pearls Quiz which promotes a critical Sustainable Development Goal and promotes healthy competition among students.
To ensure accountability and sustainability, Seplat has been monitoring its past winners. For instance, 45,140 students have been impacted; so far over the years, over 35 of them are in various universities across the country and some have graduated. Two have benefited from the undergraduate scholarship scheme while one has undergone industrial training with SEPLAT. These students provide a potential pool for future employers.
Representatives of government, host communities and other stakeholders lauded Seplat for instituting and sustaining the competition and praised the management and staff of Seplat for their consistency in organising the annual Pearls Quiz competition for an uninterrupted 9-year period.
In deploying the programme this year amid the Covid- 19 pandemic, we had to become innovative and had all the schools write the qualification test online with Seplat providing data for all