An innovative programme aimed at encouraging students’ interests in science and technology education was held recently in Lagos, drawing participants from well over 14 secondary schools who took part in the practical skill development competition.
The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics [STEM] Innovation Camp is an initiative developed through a partnership between Research in Motion [RIM], makers of Blackberry phones and Junior Achievement Nigeria, representatives of Junior Achievement Young Enterprise Europe [JA-YEE], Europe’s largest provider of entrepreneurship education programme.
According to Kumbi Wuraola, the executive director of JA-Nigeria, the competition was designed for young people to give them opportunity to be able to define their life as they grow up. She said the STEM Innovation Camp helps students between ages 15-18 to develop necessary skills that will help them become better managers in life.
Explaining her interest in science and technology education, Wuraola said in the process of teaching entrepreneurship she discovered that the world is moving fast towards technology, and therefore the need for those who want to be part of this changes to embrace and develop more than just an interest in science and technology education, stressing that there is no better place to start than those young ones doing science in secondary schools.
‘If we want our students to be tomorrow’s innovators and entrepreneurs of repute anywhere in the world, then we need to come out with innovative ideas that would stand them out,” she said.
The STEM Innovation Camp focuses on fostering young peoples’ problem solving skills. Students from different schools are mixed together and given a specific challenge to solve within a period of time.
The link between business and education helps students to develop skills that are relevant to the work place and allows them to apply their academic learning in real life.
