SEPLAT Begins Teachers Empowerment Programme In Edo, Delta States

Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc has embarked on a teacher empowerment program aimed at equipping secondary school teachers with techniques and practices of good teaching methods.

The programme tagged SEPLAT Teachers Empowerment Programme is to promote teacher’s creative thinking, allow for higher student engagement, and offer a well-rounded education for recipients in Edo and Delta states.

The General Manager, External Affairs and Communications, SEPLAT, Chioma Nwachuku, in a statement on Friday said a total of 100 Teachers and 43 Chief Inspectors of Education drawn from Edo and Delta States are benefitting from this maiden edition.

The statement added, “Seplat is delighted with the invaluable role the Company is playing with enhancing the quality of education with the many educational programmes offered through the Company’s CSR initiatives.

“With the STEP programme, the company now has a full boutique of programmes to address the entire education value chain.

“Our programmes now cover improving school infrastructure, enhancing academic performance of students and building the skills and competencies of Teachers.

She noted that the maiden Seplat Teachers Empowerment Programme made its debut in Benin City, Edo State, on November 23, 2020, and lasted five days for the first phase.

“The five-day residential Workshop introductory phase kicks off a six-month programme specially designed for Teachers providing them training on teaching applications for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics as well as leadership and self-improvement training.”

“The training continues online over six months with Teachers receiving customized training modules on efficient pedagogical methods for STEAM education, as well as leadership and self-improvement training.”

According to her, the e-platform will provide and connect Teachers to a collection of STEAM resources to enable them to understand, teach and demonstrate effectively to their students.

The statement said Seplat supports the Teachers with the provision of electronic devices and internet data for the period of training.

It added, “This initiative follows the recently concluded Seplat PEARLs Quiz, which had 574 participating schools drawn from Edo and Delta States.

“The competition aims to promote and reward academic excellence amongst Secondary School students; it runs for six months with the students and Schools earnestly contest to win the much-coveted prizes.”

Roger Brown, Chief Executive Officer, SEPLAT said that Seplat has invested significantly in various educational Corporate Social Responsibility programmes which support Sustainable Development Goals because of its strong belief that education is the bedrock for national growth.

Noting that having a team of competent teachers is a critical success factor for achieving quality education, the CEO said that the program aims to enhance Teachers’ competencies and empower them with the knowledge and skills to deploy STEAM education, amongst other benefits.

According to him, STEAM education is crucial in creating a strong educational foundation for students pursuing careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, adding that Seplat is committed to providing this programme annually because of its relevance.

The officials of Edo State Ministry of Education, Edo State Ministry of Science & Technology and Delta State Ministry of Basic & Secondary Education, respectively, expressed their delight to collaborate with SEPLAT on this initiative because of the multiplier effects it would have on Secondary education.

As contained in the statement, SEPLAT will be graduating the first set of Teachers from the STEP initiative by the first quarter 2021.

Three hundred and eighty-nine Teachers from Schools in Edo and Delta States sat for the qualifying test online on September 16, 2020, and a total of 100 Teachers were selected from Secondary Schools evenly across the two States.

Of the 100 Teachers to be trained, 75 percent are from Public Schools, while 25 per cent are from Private Schools.