Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, on Monday said that the company is committed to providing annual educational programmes with relevance and positive multiplier effects on boosting quality education to teachers in its host states.
Mr Roger Brown, the Chief Executive Officer, Seplat, an indigenous energy company, said this on Monday in Benin.
It was at the certificate presentation ceremony to 143 secondary schools teachers from Edo and Delta who had undergone the Seplat Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the teachers comprising 100 secondary school teachers and 43 Chief Inspectors of Education began the company’s STEP last November.
Represented by Dr Chioma Nwachuku, Director, External Affairs and Communications, Seplat, Brown, affirmed that Seplat strongly believed that education is the bedrock for national development.
He stated that the company’s STEP deployment aimed to enhance teachers’ competencies and empower them with the knowledge and skills to implement Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) education, amongst other benefits.
He also said that over the years, the company had invested significantly in various educational Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Number 4, which speaks to education for all.
“Seplat is committed to providing this programme annually because of its relevance and positive multiplier effects on boosting quality education,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nwachuku, in her own remarks, said that Seplat was playing an invaluable role in enhancing the quality of education with the many educational programmes offered through the Company’s CSR initiatives.
She noted that with the STEP programme, the company now had a full bouquet of programmes impacting the entire education value chain.
“Seplat educational programmes now cover improving school infrastructure, enhancing students’ academic performance, and building the skills and competencies of teachers, among others.
“Teachers are the critical success factor for the implementation of STEAM model, thus Seplat has embarked on empowering teachers with the STEAM knowledge and skill sets to enable them to deliver,” she said.
In her keynote address, Prof. Ngozi Osarenren, a former Commissioner for Education in Edo, said that what Seplat had done could not be quantified as it would continue to drive critical thinking and generate problem-solving skills.
She, therefore, urged the beneficiaries of the programme to utilise the acquired knowledge to make positive impacts on their students while remaining change agents, mentors and character builders.
“Nobody can make you inferior without your consent,” she said.
NAN further reports that the company used the opportunity of the award ceremony to host an Education Roundtable to commemorate the certificate presentation ceremony to the 143 recipients.
NAN reports that at the roundtable, experts including Prof. Pat Utomi, its moderator, called for urgent educational advancement in the country.
The panelists comprised Dr Chioma Nwachuku, Professor of Guidance and Counselling at Ambrose Alli University Oyaziwo Aluede, and the Director, Centre for Gender Security Studies and Youth Advancement, University of Abuja, Prof. Ocholi Fehintola.
Others were Professor of Educational Management, University of Ibadan Benedict Emunemu, and the Principal Managing Partner, Teach Smart Eduservices, Mr Sola Okunkpolor.
The education roundtable, with the theme “Provision of Quality Education: A National Priority”, was to explore the right policy formulation strategies for quality education.
The specially designed programme NAN gathered provided training on teaching applications for STEAM, leadership and self improvement.