Seplat Energy empowers additional 271 teachers on STEP
Mr Yinka Akibu, M&E Specialist, UNDP Spotlight Initiative, presents the UN Woman agency’s gift for the best graduating student to Ukamaka Uwaifo, flagged to his right is Permanent Secretary, Delta State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Augustine Oghoro; Dr. Chioma Nwachuku, and to his left the recipient, Mr. Effiong Okon; and Dr. Joan Oviawe with other outstanding performing teachers at the Seplat JV Teachers’ Empowerment Programme (STEP) in Benin recently
By Yusuf Yunus Seplat Energy is strongly committed to educational advancement in the country and considers teachers as the critical success factor for the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) model. As a result in 2020, Seplat embarked on empowering teachers and Chief Inspectors of Education (CIEs) at Edo and Delta states with the requisite knowledge and skill sets to excel in teaching their students STEAM model learning.
On April 14, the company held the graduation ceremony of the beneficiaries of the 2022/203 session of the STEP initiative. The celebration was accompanied with an Education Roundtable and the Seplat Teachers’ Empowerment Programme (STEP) Award Ceremony was for a total of 271 beneficiaries comprising 260 teachers and 11 CIEs trained for the 2022/2023 edition.
The STEP initiative by Seplat Energy builds teachers compentencies to teacb the STEAM model of learning to secondary schools students to promote their creative thinking abilities, 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 program provises teachers access to STEAM learning through workshops and a customised e-platform with a collection of STEAM resources that teachers can access on a free device provided by Seplat.
In her opening remark, the Director, External Affairs and Sustainability, Seplat Energy Plc, Dr. Chioma Nwachuku, said secondary school teachers in public and private schools in the company 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 deploging 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’s new energy focus ties strongly to “the sustainability programmes in our host states and Nigeria at large”.
Mr. Okon added: “Seplat Energy crave for innovation and excellence as it continues to empower teachers and CIEs, and remains committed to celebrating the success stories of the benefiting teachers as well as the students that are being impacted.”
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 panelists comprised the 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 assures ” technology remains critical to transforming th 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, adding that: “Our teachers must become technologically-savvy at this time. Data gathering has become very key now and technology provides the right platforms. It is a new era and we are in a new world. Thanks to Seplat Energy and its partners for leading this journey.”
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, commended Seplat 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 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 positive multiplier effects on 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 for the appropriate application of 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 boost value creation in the country’s educational sector for the realization of quality education..
