Oritsegbubemi Omatseyin
Lagos — Seplat Energy has restated its commitment to educational advancement in the country and considers empowering teachers as the critical success factor.
As a result, in 2020, Seplat embarked on empowering teachers and Chief Inspectors of Education (CIEs) at Edo and Delta states with the required knowledge and skill sets to excel whilst leveraging the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) model.
On April 14, the company held the graduation ceremony of the beneficiaries of the 2022/2023 session of the Seplat Teachers’ Empowerment Programme (STEP) initiative. The celebration was accompanied by an Education Roundtable and the STEP Award Ceremony. A total of 271 beneficiaries comprising 260 teachers and 11 CIEs were trained in the 2022/2023 edition.
The STEP initiative by Seplat Energy builds teachers’ competencies to teach the STEAM model of learning to secondary school students to drive creative thinking, allow for higher student engagement, and offer a well-rounded education where Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics are equal contributors to the process of learning.
The programme provides teachers access to STEAM learning through workshops and a customised electronic platform with a collection of STEAM resources that teachers could access on a free device provided by Seplat.
In her opening remark, the Director, of External Affairs and Sustainability, Seplat Energy Plc, Dr Chioma Nwachuku, said secondary school teachers in public and private schools in the company’s host States were open to benefiting from the laudable programme.
According to her, the STEP programme has been enormously impactful in touching over 25,000 students within the third year of deploying the programme. It has recorded a total of 634 beneficiaries, which comprise 574 teachers and 60 Chief Inspectors of Education (CIEs).
Over the years, Seplat Energy has invested significantly in other educational Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes such as the PEARLS Quiz competition to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Number 4, which promotes education for all. “In his address, the Director, New Energy, Seplat Energy, Effiong Okon, who commended the Edo and Delta states governments for providing a conducive business environment for the company, said Seplat Energy’s new energy focus ties strongly to “the sustainability programmes in our host states and Nigeria at large”.
To commemorate the certificate presentation ceremony, Seplat Energy hosted a chat session to further deliberate on the role of technology for quality education aligning with the theme of the Education Roundtable, ‘Transforming the Education Workforce’.
The Roundtable, which had tech professionals, educational and technological experts and officials was highly engaging. The panellists comprised Dr Chioma Nwachuku, Director, External Affairs and Sustainability, Seplat Energy; Mr Yinka Akibu; M&E Specialist, UNDP Spotlight Initiative; Kemi Sokenu-Morris, Chairman of the Executive Council, Sustainability Professionals Institute of Nigeria (SPIN); Audrey Odogu, Philanthropies Lead, Microsoft; and Birghitta Eno Okodugha, Permanent Secretary, Information Communications Technology Agency, Edo State. The session was moderated by Dr. Mories Atoki, Chief Executive Officer, African Business Coalition for Health.
Whilst delivering the Keynote, the Edo state Commissioner for Education Dr Joan Oviawe assured that: “Technology remains critical to transforming the education workforce and that the 21st Century interaction between teachers and students could be massively impacted and boosted leveraging the right technologies and methods.” She called for project-based and competency-based learning approaches in schools.
The Governor of Delta State, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Delta State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Mr Augustine Oghoro, also commended Seplat Energy for its people-focus initiatives, saying the interventions were timely given the need for teachers and students to be equipped with relevant skills to become global champions.
Speaking on the Company’s commitment to the sustainability of the programme, Dr Nwachuku said: “We strongly believe that education is the bedrock for national development and our STEP deployment aims to enhance teachers’ competencies and empower them with the knowledge and skills to implement STEAM education, amongst other benefits. Seplat Energy is committed to providing this programme annually because of its relevance and has positive multiplier effects in boosting quality education.”
Seplat Energy has continued to drive positive change in the Nigerian educational sector with a strong bias for innovation and technological progress. The company equally crave the appropriate application of the same to schooling, as new competencies could become game-changers for the country and the Nigerian people. With the Seplat Teachers Empowerment Programme, Seplat Energy sustains value creation in the country’s educational sector for the realisation of quality Education.
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