InterswitchSPAK
ISPAK logo
Created byOladapo Ojo
Based onHigh School Science Curriculum (STEM)
Developed byJustMedia Productions
Written byOgugua Dopamu
Directed byOladapo Ojo
Presented byKhadijah Abu (2017), Onyinye Okwundu (Season 1)
Country of originNigeria
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes16
Production
Executive producersMitchell Elegbe, Cherry Eromosele, Oladapo Ojo
ProducersOgugua Dopamu, Funmi Oladapo-Ojo
EditorsJoseph Onyia, Sam Oriabor, Bisola Akinwande, Jacob Abiiki, Austine Ogar
Running time30 minutes (2017); 1 hour (Season 1 - )
Production companyJustMedia Productions
Original release
Release2017

InterswitchSPAK National Science Competition[1] is a High School Science Television contest show that started  in Nigeria. It debuted in 2017 as SPAK (an acronym for Speed; Perseverance; Accuracy and Knowledge).

The 360o engagement platform is created by Oladapo Ojo and developed by JustMedia Productions for Interswitch Group.[2]

This initiative is designed to support and encourage the study of STEM[3] (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) across Africa.

From a national qualifying examination across all the states of the Federation, the best 81 students with excellent skills get to qualify for the second stage of the Competition, emerging from a nationwide written examination[4][5]. These 81 students are then split into 9 groups (of 9 students each) to carry out the InterswitchSPAK Innovation Challenge, with the winning group receiving the Founders Award.

History

The SPAK initiative began in 2017 as a national science competition for senior secondary schools in Nigeria. It is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)[6] project produced by JustMedia Productions. The year 2018 marked a total turn-around for the initiative as Interswitch Group[7][2] became the exclusive headline sponsor[7] of the project thereby expanding it (duration/timing) coupled with bigger and more robust rewards to the winners of the competition.

The competition is designed to test the ability of each student in the sciences, with the sole objective of promoting the study of STEM[8][9] subjects in Nigeria and Africa at large.

The competition is in two Phases - the Phase 1 is the iSPAK National Qualifying written Examination[10][11] and the Phase 2 is made up of: InterswitchSPAK MasterClass[12][13], InterswitchSPAK Innovation Challenge and the main TV Show[14]

InterswitchSPAK National Qualifying Exams

Each of the interested schools across the nation is expected to  register their representatives (online only): their six(6) Year 11 best students in STEM subjects.

To support the girl-child initiative, each mixed school must have at least two female students - amongst the six(6) that would represent them.

Each school is to prepare their representatives for the qualifying exams in four subjects - Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry & Biology based on the current Year 11 WAEC/NECO syllabuses.

On a pre-determined date annually in April, we will  have all the students across Nigeria write an aptitude test (100 questions in 75 minutes)  to determine the best 81 students across the nation to qualify for the next stage of  the Competition. Even though the schools registered the students, the competition is strictly individual.

InterswitchSPAK MasterClass

The InterswitchSPAK MasterClass[15] is that part of the program designed to further develop the minds of these 81 outstanding students.

The MasterClass exposes them to real life experiences shared by top notch speakers, thereby laying a foundation for solid careers for them.

Leading the 2018 InterswitchSPAK MasterClass[16] line up of Speakers was Mitchell Elegbe (The Founder/Group Managing Director of Interswitch Group) who spoke on various life-changing topics such as “Emotional Intelligence and the Leadership Responsibility of Youths”. The speeches were spiced with different tasks and games. Other speakers at the class were Yinka Sanni who spoke about “Social Innovation”: The powers of transformative ideas” and Eloho Omame who spoke on “Entrepreneurship: A tool to creating impact in the society”.

InterswitchSPAK Innovation Challenge

As part of the line-up of activities for the Stage II of InterswitchSPAK National Science Competition 1.0, the “InterswitchSPAK Innovation Challenge[17]” has the students work in teams (of 9 each) on a project where they are required to proffer solutions to a societal problem in the country.[18][19]

The InterswitchSPAK Innovation Challenge was introduced to inspire and motivate students to think out-of-the-box in solving problems and pushing the limits of innovation to address Africa’s many challenges.

Each of the teams was expected to analyse a problem in the society, and to present the best possible solution to this problem, leveraging on technology. Topics are allocated to each team, and with the assistance of team captains assigned to them, they were expected to work on the assigned topics, identify key challenges, proffer the best solution to the problem and present it as a team on the main TV show.

During InterswitchSPAK 1.0, three topics were given, with a topic going to a batch of three teams who would work independently.

The topics were:

The presentations by all the 9 teams (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) were then reviewed by a Jury, comprising: Mitchell Elegbe - Founder/GMD of Interswitch Group, Tarebi Alebiosu - Managing Director of Yoke Solutions and Chika Obi - CEO of Level 5 Lab, based on agreed parameters, such as: creativity, relevance, presentation and knowledge. The team with the overall best solution was picked as winner for the season.

The winning team for the InterswitchSPAK 1.0 Innovation Challenge was Team Neptune with a final score of 238 out of a possible 300 available.

The winners of the InterswitchSPAK Innovation Challenge[20][17][21] are awarded the Founder's Award with benefits, such as individual laptops, all-paid vocational jobs at Interswitch Group plus an invitation to an exclusive dinner event with top officials of the Interswitch Group and other industry leaders.

InterswitchSPAK TV Show

The Main TV Show[22][23][24] sees these 81 students drawn up into nine (9) groups based on their scores from the National Qualifying Exam. Each of the 9 groups will have students battle amongst themselves to determine the three (3) qualifiers from each group that would move into the semis. At the semifinals, the best three (3) from each of the three (3) groups would qualify for the final, and at the final (i.e. the end), the overall Best STEM[25] student would emerge.

The InterswitchSPAK stage II is majorly focused on the following pure sciences: General Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. However, a good understanding of Geography, ICT and General knowledge is an added advantage.

Various awards/educational scholarships are given to the winning students, schools, teachers and their states’ Ministries of Education.

The prize for the top three students is N12.5m worth of university scholarships.

All students who make it to the TV quiz competition stage would get plaques, certificates of participation and educational grants amongst other things.

All the participating schools are expected to be rewarded with e-certificates and other prizes based on their point(s) of disengagement.

At InterswitchSPAK 1.0, the winner of first position was Akachukwu Anumudu, the first runner up was Henry Umunna while the second runner up was Onyedikachi Kanu.

InterswitchSPAK Past Winners

The table below shows previous winners of InterswitchSPAK TV Quiz since its inception in 2017, alongside the names of their schools.

Year Name Position School
2018 Akachukwu Anumudu 1st Apostolic Faith Secondary School, Lagos
Henry Umunna 2nd Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja
Onyedikachi Kanu 3rd Dority International Secondary School, Aba
2017 Ayobami Ahmed 1st Scholars Universal Secondary School, Ota
Aminu Abdulsalam 2nd The Ambassadors College, Ota
Samuel Amoko 3rd Hallmark Secondary School, Ondo

InterswitchSPAK Students Registration (Nigeria)

2017 2018 2019
Male 3,076 5,759 8,836
Female 2,965 5,653 8,624
Total Completed 6,041 11,412 17,460

References

  1. ^ "InterswitchSPAK 1.0 final hits the airwaves tonight". Starconnect Media. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  2. ^ a b "Elegbe: IQ is necessary, but not sufficient for success". Newtelegraph. 2018-08-30. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
  3. ^ "InterswitchSPAK STEM competition stresses need for emotional intelligence". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  4. ^ "Interswitch SPAK opens portal for students' registration". Daily Trust. 2018-02-22. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  5. ^ "11,412 students sit for InterswitchSPAK national exam". Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  6. ^ Akingbolu, Raheem (2018-09-13). "CSR as Tool for Capacity Development". This Day. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  7. ^ a b Ogwu, Sunday Michael (2018-09-02). "Interswitch stakes N12m in scholarship". Daily Trust. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
  8. ^ "Interswitch: science, technology, others hold future for economy". The Nation Nigeria. 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  9. ^ "'Science, others hold future for economy'". The Nation Nigeria. 2018-08-28. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
  10. ^ "InterswitchSPAK: Over 11, 000 students write STEM exams". The Nation Nigeria. 2018-04-23. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  11. ^ "InterswitchSPAK: 11,000 students for national STEM exams". Vanguard News. 2018-04-26. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  12. ^ "Interswitch: innovation key to success". The Nation Nigeria. 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
  13. ^ Polycarp, Nwafor (2018-09-06). "High IQ necessary, but insufficient for success – Interswitch boss". Vanguard News Nigeria. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
  14. ^ Balogun, Hazeez (2018-11-02). "81 Students Battle For N12.5m On Interswitch SPAK TV Show". Independent Newspapers Nigeria. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
  15. ^ "InterswitchSPAK Masterclass: Nigerian Students express readiness to solve Africa's challenges". YNaija. 2018-09-18. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
  16. ^ "Finalists Share Experiences at InterswitchSPAK Masterclass". Business Post Nigeria. 2018-09-23. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
  17. ^ a b "9 teenagers win Innovation challenge with health solution". Brand Spur. 2019-01-22. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  18. ^ "Interswitch harps on innovation, skills to solve national issues, others". guardian.ng. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
  19. ^ Lukman, Ayobami (2019-01-24). "9 Teenagers Win Innovation Challenge With Health Solution". Marketing Space l Brands and Marketing in Nigeria. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  20. ^ "9 teenagers emerge winners in InterswitchSPAK innovation challenge". Daily Times Nigeria. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  21. ^ "Nine teens' health solution wins innovation challenge". The Nation Nigeria. 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  22. ^ "16-year-old Akachukwu Anumudu wins InterswitchSPAK 1.0". TheCitizen. 2019-02-11. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  23. ^ Warami, Urowayino (2019-02-14). "Anumudu,16, wins InterswitchSPAK 1.0". Vanguard News Nigeria. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  24. ^ "81 pupils battle for N12.5m Interswitch scholarship". The Nation Nigeria. 2018-10-25. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
  25. ^ Kehinde, Opeyemi (2018-02-21). "Interswitch launches InterswitchSPAK to promote STEM education". Daily Trust. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
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