Education
Interswitch Sets Aside N12.5m to Promote STEM Subjects
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Leading Pan-African electronic payment and digital commerce company, Interswitch Group, is set to host the first edition of the InterswitchSPAK project with a N12.5 million-scholarship amongst other prizes for the winners.
A statement issued by the firm explained that the project, which is its new CSR initiative, is focused on driving increased interest in the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects among Senior Secondary School students across Nigeria.
It was disclosed that the InterswitchSPAK initiative is a multifaceted one, made up of the TV quiz show which includes the Innovation Challenge, the MasterClass, and the InterswitchSPAK volunteers’ week, all targeted at students aged between 14 and 17 years in SS 2 or year 11, as the case maybe.
InterswitchSPAK aims to encourage and guide the students on career paths that will help them achieve full optimization of their potentials and dreams to become innovators and entrepreneurs.
InterswitchSPAK 1.0. began with a National Qualifying Examination from which the top 81 students out of the over 11,000 students from various private and public secondary schools across the 36 states of the federation, including the FCT, qualified to compete in the TV Quiz Show.
The TV Quiz Show will be preceded by a Masterclass taking place on August 27, in Lagos. The Masterclass is a full-day of knowledge sharing and engagement sessions where some of the most inspiring and successful men and women in our society will discuss relevant topics with the students.
Speaking about the Masterclass, Founder & GMD of Interswitch, Mr Mitchell Elegbe, stated that the session would give the students the opportunity to meet real-life models who prove that success is possible, regardless of existing challenges. It will focus on knowledge sharing, as well as motivating the students on character building and assuming leadership responsibilities in all their spheres of contact.
“The Masterclass is a real experiential window for the students, where they do not only meet successful people who are providing solutions, they are motivated and prepped by these people to begin to develop the right mind set and attitude for leadership and success,” he said.
The Masterclass will feature three 45-minute sessions where the qualified students who emerged from the qualifying examinations will be intellectually motivated by high-profile speakers led by Mr Elegbe.
Also speaking at the event will be Mr Yinka Sanni, CEO, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Ltd, and Eloho Omame, MD, Endeavour Nigeria.
Mr Yinka Sanni will lead the first session and would be speaking on “Social Innovation – The Power of Transformative Ideas, while Eloho Omame will handle the second session titled: ‘Entrepreneurship – A Tool to Creating Impact in Our Society’ and Mitchell Elegbe will round off the session with the topic: ‘Emotional Intelligence and the Leadership Responsibility of Youths’.
After the Masterclass, the TV quiz show will commence with the InterswitchSPAK Innovation Challenge, a two-day intensive boot camp, where the 81 finalists, working in groups, will have the opportunity to brainstorm with their peers and proffer solutions to various issues affecting our society. The group with the most innovative and viable solution will be presented with the InterswitchSPAK 1.0 Founders Prize for Innovation.
Cherry Eromosele, Group Chief Product and Marketing Officer, Interswitch, disclosed that the Innovation Challenge is aimed at accentuating critical thinking and problem-solving abilities in the students who will be guided by staff of the Interswitch Group.
She said: “InterswitchSPAK is a project we are very much committed to. When we started this journey, our goal was very clear: to find gifted students in secondary schools and guide them to achieve their dreams. InterswitchSPAK was created to help shape the future of Africa’s brightest science students, and our immediate objective is for each student to go away with the awareness of their capacity to do great things”.
With N7.5 million worth of university scholarship for five years for the 1st place winner, N4 million worth of scholarship for three years for the 2nd place winner, and N1 million worth of scholarship for one year for the 3rd place winner, the atmosphere is set for exciting times on InterswitchSPAK 1.0.
Interswitch’s decision to give the grand prize money in the form of tertiary education scholarship, reinforces the company’s commitment to improving lives through sustainable long-term investments.
InterswitchSPAK 1.0 will be rounded off with the “InterswitchSPAK Volunteers Week” where staff of Interswitch will volunteer one hour of their time to teach STEM subjects in selected public schools.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the results of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, with 61.54 per cent of candidates obtaining credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
The Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, Mr Amos Dangut, announced the results at a press briefing in Lagos on Wednesday.
Mr Dangut said 1,200,514 candidates met the benchmark for admission to higher institutions, out of the 1,950,726 candidates who sat the examination nationwide, held between April 24 and June 19.
He said 102,708 examiners were engaged in the marking exercise held at 88 marking venues across the country between 2 July and 20 July.
“Today, I am happy to inform you that all the processes leading to the release of results have been completed. It is now my pleasure to announce the release of the results of candidates who sat the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2026 in Nigeria,” he said, directing candidates to the agency’s portal to access their results.
“UPDATE: 2026 WASSCE (SC) results have been released. Generate your PIN at waec.org and check your results now on waecdirect.org,” the examination body said, noting that candidates must obtain their Serial Number and PIN before they can check their results.
To generate the required credentials, candidates are expected to visit WAEC’s official website and select the “Serial Number and PIN” option at the top of the page.
They are then required to select the appropriate examination year and diet, enter their examination number and National Identification Number (NIN), and ensure that the NIN provided is the same one used during registration for the examination.
Candidates must also provide their email address and phone number to receive a One-Time Password (OTP).
After entering the OTP, candidates can recover their Serial Number and PIN, which they can subsequently use to check their results through WAEC Direct.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Over 200 senior students of Cleggs Girls High School, Surulere, Lagos, were on July 23, 2026, engaged in practical knowledge about the risks associated with smoking, vaping, and shisha.
This engagement was made possible through a collaboration between Breathe Life Foundation and Teach Nigeria Fellow.
Participants were students aged 15–19 years. They were also informed about the misconception that shisha is a safer alternative to cigarettes or other substances.
Through an engaging and interactive discussion, students explored the influence of peer pressure and learned practical strategies for making healthier, more informed lifestyle choices.
They also gained a better understanding of common environmental triggers of asthma and other respiratory conditions, including cigarette smoke, generator fumes, bush burning, mosquito coil smoke, candles, charcoal, and firewood.
The session highlighted an important reality: young people may not always recognise how seemingly routine lifestyle choices and environmental exposures can gradually affect their respiratory health, quality of life, and long-term wellbeing.
For Breathe Life Foundation, this reinforces the importance of shifting the conversation from treatment to prevention through awareness and education.
By equipping young people with the knowledge to identify risks and make healthier choices early, the foundation is helping to build a generation that is more conscious of – and better prepared to protect – its respiratory health.
The organisation said it is dedicated to advancing respiratory health, an often-neglected public health priority. Healthy lungs are essential to life, yet respiratory diseases remain among the world’s leading causes of death and disability, even though many are preventable and treatable.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) schemes, the Obajana Plant of Dangote Cement Plc has distributed some educational materials to some pupils in Kogi State.
The items shared to the beneficiaries included school bags, exercise books, writing materials, water bottles, and other essential learning aids aimed at enhancing the learning experience of the pupils and preparing them for the next academic session.
The General Manager for the Social Performance Department of Dangote Cement at Obajana Plant, Mr Ademola Adeyemi, said the materials were donated days after Dangote Cement distributed similar education materials to pupils in public schools in its catchment communities of Oyo, Iwaa, Obajana and Apata; and commissioned a multi-million-naira hospital in Obajana, which added to the growing list of social investments that includes an earlier hospital project in Iwaa and Oyo Communities.
He noted that, over the years, the company has invested billions of naira in a wide range of social programmes for host communities, including empowerment programmes, road construction, and potable water projects, and it remains resolute in its commitment to sustaining and expanding its interventions.
He noted that the company’s corporate social responsibility programmes are aligned with government development priorities and are implemented through sustained, mutually beneficial partnerships.
“The intervention was informed by findings from a needs assessment conducted by Dangote Cement. During the assessment, it was observed that several pupils attended school without school bags, while others carried their books by hand. It was also discovered that many students lacked essential learning materials such as exercise books, pens, pencils, and other basic learning materials,” the cement firm said.
The Head Teacher of UBE LGEA School, St. Luke Model II, Adankolo, Lokoja Local Government Area, Mr Abubakar Sanni, expressed profound appreciation to the management of Dangote Cement for the gesture.
The Head Teacher expressed gratitude to the Group President of the conglomerate, Aliko Dangote, for extending the company’s educational support programme beyond its host and impacted communities to schools located at the state headquarters.
The beneficiaries, school management, parents, and community stakeholders expressed gratitude to Dangote Cement for the timely intervention and prayed for the continued growth and success of the company in its efforts to improve lives and support sustainable community development.
