Stanbic Bank Uganda, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Sports, has launched the 2017 ‘Stanbic National Schools Championship’, an exciting competition that will see over 3,000 students from 40 secondary schools participate in a series of educational activities from class debates, quiz competitions and dynamic group projects.
The competition aims to encourage and challenge the students in critical thinking and provide exposure to vast knowledge beyond the class room.
“Investing in education is an integral part of the bank’s strategy in fostering development in the country. We believe that a healthy competition and innovativeness among students is a step forward to creating active minds which yield solutions that would steer not only improved academic performance, but also definite solutions to moving Uganda economically forward,” Patrick Mweheire, the SBU Chief Executive Officer said at the official launch.
Students will stand a chance to win amazing prizes including; an educational all-expenses paid for trip to South Africa, I-pads, books and internships with Stanbic. The schools will also benefit from the competition with prizes like teacher training programmes and books for their libraries.
The competition is expected to provide students with financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills. It will also improve their problem solving skills, build confidence, refine their presentation skills and equip them with critical and creative thinking skills.
The guest of honour, Commissioner for Higher, Benson Kule, said the Ministry of Education is doing everything it can to ensure that students receive the best curriculum of study.
“A project such as the Stanbic National School Championships is an added advantage which tweaks the minds of students to prepare beyond what they might have studied,” Mr Kule said.
He added: “The contribution of the private sector in the education sector is fully respected and needed if we are to adopt higher education as a key step in driving growth in the country. The Ministry expects schools through this project to breed excellence and cultivate cooperation among students but most all, we hope that it will teach students resilience and confidence.”
Mr. Mweheire said the importance of education cannot be underestimated if communities are to achieve development and self-sustainability. “As the world continuously evolves, so does education. The more knowledge we acquire the better we are placed to compete favourably while keeping pace with the changing times. As a leading financial institution we value this concept and believe education is a key driver to sector growth,” he said.
This year will see 40 schools both government and private taking part, the finals are in April 2017.
Commenting on the criteria and implementation process for the Corporate Responsibility Programme, Stanbic Bank’s Head of Communications & CSI, Cathy Adengo said: “All regions are represented in the National School Championships. We will have 10 schools from each region where, the top final schools will battle for the championship in the national finals.”
Ms Adengo noted the programme has been organised carefully and will be implemented seamlessly to make sure there is a positive impact on all the participants. She said, “There will be regional launches to officially kick off the competition. Students and schools will be engaged in both an essay and quiz competition which will then be evaluated to select winners from each region.”
“The students will also be given a student bank assimilation project aimed at imparting knowledge about banking while at the same time stimulating financial literacy. At this stage, we will have chosen four schools that will go to the final competitions,” she disclosed.
