University of Nigeria Wins Chevening Science Competition

In the city of Enugu, the University of Nigeria Secondary School emerged as the champion in the Chevening Science Competition.

Following closely behind as the first and second runners-up were Holy Rosary College Enugu and Command Day Secondary School respectively.

The two-day event took place at the CBN Centre of Excellence for Economics and Finance, located at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus. A total of 25 secondary schools participated, with seven reaching the grand finale.

The seven schools that made it to the finals were Spring of Life Secondary School, Federal Government College, Holy Rosary College, New Haven Secondary School, University of Nigeria Secondary School, Command Day Secondary School, and Day Secondary School, Independence Layout.

After the competition, the Project Director of Chevening Alumni, Mr. Lucky Nonyelum, emphasized that the initiative aims to empower students with the skills to utilize science and explore opportunities, predict outcomes, interpret results, and contribute to technological advancement in Nigeria.

Nonyelum revealed that the competition was sponsored by the Chevening Alumni Association of Nigeria in collaboration with the British High Commissioner, Inspire Initiatives for Inclusive STEM Education, and supported by the Ministry of Education, Enugu State.

He further explained that Chevening is a postgraduate scholarship supported by the United Kingdom and stated, “The idea of the Chevening Science Competition is to promote Chevening within Nigeria.”

He added, “We also aim to promote the activities of the Alumni Association in Nigeria. We are here to showcase what is happening and to promote the Chevening scholarship specifically in the South-East region of Nigeria. The sponsorship’s objective is that once you study in the UK, you can return to Nigeria and contribute to the country in any way possible.”

He mentioned, “I recently returned to Nigeria in January, and we started this project in Nigeria, focusing on the South-East states of Enugu, Imo, and Anambra. This is a pilot project. The competition targets senior secondary school students. The aim is to promote what we refer to as scientific literacy, enabling students to use scientific principles to solve problems within their environment.”

He provided an example, stating, “For instance, consider the issues of pollution and water scarcity in Enugu. How can students apply scientific principles to address these problems? That is what we wanted to achieve. So, the competition is not simply about ticking boxes but is actually about enhancing scientific literacy.”

Speaking to our correspondent, the three students – Ugwoegbu Precious, Ogbozor Chinazom, and Okolie Chigozie – who represented the University of Nigeria Secondary School, expressed their gratitude to the organizers for the opportunity to showcase their talents.

They also thanked their teachers for their preparation and stated that they would continue to work hard, especially on the questions they couldn’t answer correctly, in order to master those concepts.

The overall winning school received a cash prize of N200,000 along with books and school bags, while the first runner-up received N100,000 in cash rewards alongside books and school bags. The second runner-up received books and bags.