As part of policy targeted at attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the management of Seplat Petroleum Development Company has boosted the human capacity development of 100 teachers in Edo and Delta States.
The teachers were trained under the Seplat Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP), in Benin, the Edo State capital.
Chief executive officer of the oil firm, Roger Brown, who spoke at the five-day training program said it was geared towards boosting the teachers’ skills and knowledge in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) subjects.
He said of the 100 teachers to be trained, 75 percent were selected from public schools while 25 percent were picked from private schools.
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“Seplat has invested significantly in various educational corporate social responsibility programmes which support Sustainable Development Goals, Goal 4, because of our strong belief that education is the bedrock for national growth. Worldwide, having a team of competent teachers is a critical success factor for achieving quality education.
“Our STEP programme, therefore, aims to enhance Teachers’ competencies and empower them with the knowledge and skills to deploy STEAM education, amongst other benefits. STEAM education is crucial in creating a strong educational foundation for students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
“Seplat is committed to providing this programme annually because of its relevance”, he said.
Roger, who also noted that the initiative was geared towards enhancing the quality of education, added that the teachers will be provided electronic devices and internet data for the period of training.
He further said that the company has developed an online teacher’s resource centre which will provide and connect teachers to a collection of STEAM resources to enable them to understand, teach and demonstrate effectively to their students. He also disclosed that the company will be graduating the first set of teachers from the STEP initiative by the first quarter of 2021.
He added, “389 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.”
Chioma Nwachuku, general manager, external affairs and communications of SEPLAT, said with the STEP initiative, the company has now extended its programmes towards improving school infrastructure, enhancing the academic performance of students and building skills of teachers.
Chioma added that a total of 100 teachers and 43 chief inspectors of education drawn from Edo and Delta States benefitted from the maiden STEP initiative.
