- Winners will take N12.5 million in varsity scholarships, others, entry closes May 11, 2022.
Published By News Editor
Entries are open to all Year 11 Senior Secondary School students who are interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), as that is the core focus of the competition. The registration for the competition is scheduled to run until May 11, 2022.
The total winning prize of N12.5 million in university scholarships, among other mouthwatering rewards, has been set aside for the top three winners. The first-place winner will receive N7.5 million in scholarships, spread over a five-year period, a monthly stipend, and a laptop. The second-place winner will get N4 million in scholarships, spread over 3 years, a monthly stipend, and a laptop while the third-place winner will receive N1 million in scholarships, monthly stipends, and a laptop.
InterswitchSPAK National Science Competition is a creation of Africa’s leading integrated payments and digital commerce company, Interswitch, as part of its Switch-a-Future initiative, in collaboration with JustMedia. The contest seeks to drive the interest in STEM subjects among African students.
Interswitch believes that with the observable trends today, the role of technology cannot be underestimated, and Africa cannot be left behind in the utilisation of STEM to drive growth on the continent and in the use of our ingenious talents to bring about solutions to African problems.
The final episode of the third edition aired on February 6, 2022, with Jubril Dokun of Brainfield College, Salolo, Lagos State, emerging as the season’s winner, holding the title as the nation’s Best STEM Student after 13 weeks of the show’s run.
In second place was Ayanlade Jesuferanmi of Obafemi Awolowo University International School, Ile-Ife, while Omoniyi Qudus of Scholars Universal Secondary School, Ota, came in third, beating 78 other contestants that were shortlisted from over 10,000 students who successfully sat for the national qualifying examinations conducted through the computer-based test (CBT).
InterswitchSPAK, initially a Nigerian-only initiative was expanded to the East African country of Kenya, where two seasons of the show have been broadcast, with plans for a third season. This affirms the company’s goal of encouraging the uptake of STEM subjects among students in secondary schools across Africa, and interested students are encouraged to apply using this link https://www.interswitchspak.com/
Over the years, there has been a steady increase in the level of participation of students, with numbers rising from over 11,000 in its first edition to over 17,000 students in the third and most recent edition. All that is required for the students is to register, compete and win. The process to emerging as the next Best Science Student in the national science competition is that simple.