Interswitch announces postponement of Interswitch SPAK National Science Competition due to uncertainties occasioned by the Coronavirus pandemic

The global concern regarding the coronavirus outbreak and its outlook which remains unclear, including travel and social gathering concerns among other considerations make it extremely challenging to proceed with implementation of the 2020 edition as earlier planned.

Having explored the options open to us, including the logistics of staging a fully virtual implementation of the competition, we have come to the resolution that the most optimal course of action would be to defer the season. To this end, we have commenced constructive engagement with various stakeholders and partners who work with us annually on this initiative and will continue to work with them in unison as we plan towards the subsequent season of the project. We have no doubt that the appropriate course to take, as a socially responsible organization is to defer this year’s edition of Interswitch SPAK until the dangers to public health posed by the pandemic are sufficiently mitigated.

To this effect, we have formally ceased ongoing registration of candidates by schools across Nigeria and Kenya for the current year, following engagement with relevant concerned educational authorities and stakeholders in both countries.

During this period however, we would continue to use our digital assets to promote the ideals upon which the Interswitch SPAK initiative was instituted, thereby sustaining awareness and interest in the subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, and also promoting virtual challenges targeted at keeping young science students in both countries engaged.

Interswitch SPAK is an annual search across high schools (public and private) in Nigeria for only SS 2 (year 11) students between the ages of 14-17 years. It is introduced to chart the ideal career path and drive the student towards full optimization of their potentials and fulfilment of their dreams (either as an inventor or entrepreneur) with a key message of revving up the interest of students; parents, teachers and other key stakeholders towards STEM education and its application in Africa.

Its core objectives are to arouse and sustain keen interest in the study of STEM in secondary schools across Africa, to raise the standard of STEM education and reward excellence with educational grants through an unbiased competition that would promote sound education in Africa and to ultimately create a vehicle that is genuinely contributes to growth, development and well-being of Africans in line with Interswitch’s mission to create solutions that enables individuals and communities to prosper across Africa. Learn more about Interswitch SPAK at www.interswitchspak.com

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