InterswitchSPAK 3.0 Finalists Jostle for N12.5m University Scholarships -

The race for the share of N12.5 million worth of university scholarships at the InterswitchSPAK 3.0 National Science Competition is gathering momentum.

On Sunday, February 6, 2022, three senior secondary school students in Nigeria will slug it out to grab the education grant and other prizes at the grand finale.

The contest was put in place to raise interest in the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.

This year’s edition is the third. The InterswitchSPAK National Science Competition is an Interswitch Group Switch-a-Future initiative.

The competition, which is targeted at SS2 (Year 11) students between the ages of 14 and 17 years, was introduced to reward excellence in STEM among students in Africa.

“Over the years, InterswitchSPAK has continued to be a flagship platform for Nigeria’s next generation of leaders especially in the world of science and technology,” Tomijogun Ogunlesi, Group Head, Brands, Communication, Content and CSR for Interswitch stated.

She added, “Each edition, the finals have been the highpoint of the keen competition as some of Nigeria’s finest students battle for the exciting prizes. This year’s finale promises to be as exciting as usual. The finale is a must watch for every Nigerian that is passionate about education, technology and development.”

At the start of the competition, over 18,000 students from various secondary schools across Nigeria participated in the national qualifying examination.

Following various levels of the keenly contested competition, this large number has been pruned down to nine finalists who will be contesting for the bragging rights as the Best Science Student in Nigeria.

The student who claims this title will be rewarded with a N7.5 million scholarship spread over 5 years, a monthly stipend for the duration of the scholarship and a brand-new laptop.

The second-place winner will receive N4 million worth of scholarships spread over 3 years, a monthly stipend, and a brand-new laptop, while the third-place winner will be rewarded with a N1 million scholarship for one year and a brand-new laptop.

Modestus Anaesoronye

Modestus Anaesoronye is a leading Nigerian financial journalist with over two decades of experience reporting on the insurance and pension sectors across Nigeria and West Africa. He has held key editorial positions at major national media outlets, including The Comet, The Nation, and Financial Standard, and currently serves as a Senior Financial Analyst at BusinessDay Media Ltd. A widely travelled reporter, he has covered industry developments in more than 14 countries across Africa and Asia. Anaesoronye is a multiple award-winning journalist, honoured several times as Insurance Journalist of the Year and Pension Journalist of the Year by recognised industry bodies, including PensionScope and the Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp), among others.