By Aduragbemi Omiyale

An administrative building at the Community Secondary School, Enugwuabo Ufuma, in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State has been renovated by Fidelity Bank Plc.

The project underscores the bank’s long-standing commitment to investing in education as a catalyst for sustainable development, according to the Regional Bank Head for Fidelity Bank, Mr Nosa Orumwense, at a ceremony to officially hand over the building to the school’s leadership.

It was gathered that the leading financial institution comprehensively renovated the one-storey administrative block to address infrastructural challenges faced by the school.

“For us at Fidelity Bank, this project represents more than a building. It represents opportunity, progress, and a shared commitment to building a better future for our youths here in Enugwuabo Ufuma and beyond.

“By improving the educational infrastructure of this community, we are providing students and teachers with an environment that promotes learning, discipline, and pride,” Mr Orumwense stated.

On her part, the Commissioner for Education, Professor Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, who represented the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, described the project as a true demonstration of corporate social responsibility.

“Corporate social responsibility is what gives an organisation its human nature. What Fidelity Bank has done reflects compassion and a genuine commitment to touching lives,” she said.

“This school was earlier placed on an emergency list due to the deplorable condition of its buildings. During my last visit, I was genuinely concerned about the safety of both students and teachers. Today, the school wears a new look, thanks to Fidelity Bank’s support,” she added.

The Commissioner also expressed the state government’s appreciation to Fidelity Bank, saying, “We thank Fidelity Bank for this intervention, which clearly demonstrates the true meaning of corporate social responsibility – making tangible impacts that improve lives and strengthen communities.”

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

A student of Adedokun International Schools, Ota, Ogun State, Saint Riman, has emerged as the overall winner of the InterswitchSPAK National Science Competition.

The 16-year-old student was crowned Nigeria’s Best STEM Student, receiving a N15 million scholarship in the InterswitchSPAK 7.0 grand finale.

InterswitchSPAK is the flagship Corporate Social Responsibility initiative of Interswitch, one of Africa’s leading integrated payments and digital commerce companies.

The programme is Nigeria’s largest STEM competition for senior secondary school students. It concluded on a high note after months of nationwide assessments, problem-solving challenges, and competitive stages involving over 18,000 registered participants.

Business Post reports that David Okorie of Caleb International College, Magodo, Lagos State, was the first runner-up, getting N10 million in scholarship, while David Solomonezemma of Deeper Life High School, Enugu State, was the second runner-up, bagging a N5 million scholarship. All winners also received brand-new laptops in addition to other exciting prizes.

While presenting the awards, the Group Marketing and Communications for Interswitch, Ms Cherry Eromosele, commended the students for their discipline, resilience, and exceptional intellectual performance.

“InterswitchSPAK was created to inspire and reward excellence in STEM education while equipping young Africans with the skills to tackle real-world challenges.

“These winners have demonstrated remarkable promise, and by supporting their education, we are reaffirming our belief in the power of young people to shape Africa’s future through innovation and science,” Ms Eromosele said.

Beyond the top three winners, other finalists received brand new laptops and exciting cash rewards for outstanding performance, alongside their teachers who were also celebrated and rewarded for their critical role in nurturing talent. This holistic approach reinforces Interswitch’s commitment to sustainable educational development through collaboration between students, educators, and institutions.

Now in its seventh year, InterswitchSPAK has become a highly respected platform, serving as a pipeline for discovering, developing, and empowering the next generation of scientists, engineers, technologists, and innovators. Through this initiative, Interswitch continues to highlight how strategic private sector investment in education can drive innovation, reward merit, and contribute meaningfully to national development.

The successful conclusion of InterswitchSPAK 7.0 underscores Interswitch’s leadership in advancing STEM education as a catalyst for socio-economic growth, preparing Nigerian students to compete confidently on the global stage while shaping Africa’s innovation-driven future.

By Dipo Olowookere

A Zurich-based anti-chatbot edtech firm, Sparkli, has secured about $5 million pre-seed round for its generative learning engine designed to turn screen time into active learning expeditions that foster agency, curiosity, and future-ready skills.

The pre-seed round will allow Sparkli to scale its generative learning engine and prepare for a private beta launch in January 2026. The company is currently validating its platform through a strategic pilot with one of the world’s largest private school groups.

This partnership provides Sparkli with a powerful testing ground across a network of more than 100 schools and over 100,000 students.

Sparkli transforms the curiosities of children into multi-disciplinary, real-life journeys that foster future-ready skills, including technology, design thinking, sustainability, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, emotional intelligence, and global awareness.

The company is already positioning itself to disrupt the $7 trillion global education market, a sector widely predicted to be one of the most significant use cases for artificial intelligence.

Its approach is shaped by three shifts essential for modern childhood education, a strategy designed to solve the ‘Agency and Curiosity Gap’. First, it forces a Velocity Shift by moving away from static curriculums to real-time relevance where children explore new topics the moment they emerge.

Second, it drives an Engagement Shift by replacing the dry ‘AI chatbot wall of text’ and passive screen time (watching videos, playing video games) with a multimodal playground of visuals, voice, and playable simulations. This turns consumption into active, gamified inquiry rooted in educational value.

Finally, Sparkli prioritizes a Skills Shift that focuses on capabilities such as creativity and complex problem solving rather than memorization.

“Our goal is to build agency in the next generation. Children learn by exploring, making choices, asking questions, and discovering what inspires them. Sparkli turns screen time into a place where curiosity grows rather than fades,” the chief executive of Sparkli, Mr Lax Poojary, said.

One of the funders, Lukas Weder of Founderful, said, “Sparkli represents a step change in how children can interact with knowledge.

“The team is applying high caliber engineering and thoughtful pedagogy to a space that desperately needs innovation. Their traction with schools shows a real appetite for tools that foster curiosity and agency rather than passive consumption.”