Stanbic Bank Uganda has kicked off the ninth edition of the National Schools Championship (NSC), reaffirming its commitment to promoting innovation and entrepreneurship among students across the country.
The official launch of the competition took place at the National Teachers College Muni in Arua City, where Municipal and District Education Officers (DEOs) gathered to mark the commencement of the prestigious event.
Morico Kaduccu, the State Minister for Education, representing the First Lady and Minister for Education, Janet Kataha Museveni, commended Stanbic Bank for its continuous support of educational initiatives. She highlighted the importance of collaborative efforts in enhancing the quality of education and preparing students for the future.
The minister emphasized the alignment of the NSC competition with the newly introduced competency-based education curriculum, aimed at equipping students with practical skills essential for success in various fields.
The NSC competition features four main categories, including the StudentGrow challenge for existing innovations, the StudentSpark challenge for innovative projects and business ideas, the AlumGrow challenge for previous participants of the Stanbic NSC boot camp, and the TeachInnovate challenge targeting innovations by teachers.
Diana Ondoga, the manager of corporate and social investment at Stanbic Bank, highlighted the evolution of the NSC from a debate competition to a transformative enterprise challenge. She emphasized the importance of equipping students with skills for future employment, including personal development, public speaking, digital management, and business planning.
To date, Stanbic Bank has invested shs6 billion in the NSC initiative, resulting in the establishment of over 200 businesses, with 100 of them receiving capital grants through the competition.
Albert Yiga, the Stanbic Bank Uganda education sector head, urged schools to actively participate in the NSC to benefit from the grand prize, mentorship opportunities, and other products offered by the bank. He also highlighted the bank’s collaboration with energy services companies to provide engineering solutions aimed at improving service satisfaction, reducing carbon emissions, and increasing productivity.
The NSC initiative was lauded by George Mutekanga, the Commissioner for Private Schools at the Ministry of Education, as a transformative platform aligned with the ministry’s efforts to realign the secondary school curriculum and foster creativity and innovation among students.
