By Peter Okolie

No fewer than 300 students of Imo state schools have received educational materials donation from the Polaris Bank Limited, in collaboration with Evolve Charity Trust, to inspire learning, especially among the girl-child.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that three schools namely: National High School Arondizuogu, Iheme Memorial Secondary School, and Akokwa High School, all in Ideato North Local Government Area, benefitted from the gesture.

Presenting the items, the bank’s Managing Director, Mr Kayode Lawal, represented by the Business Development Manager, Urualla branch, Mrs Ifeyinwa Nwokoro, charged students to embrace the opportunities that education offers.

Lawal said the intervention was in line with the bank’s ongoing sustainability efforts aimed at reducing Nigeria’s current out-of-school children population and increase access to quality education especially for the girl-child.

“The intervention aims at educating the girl-child without limitations as some parents lament that they do not have the resources to educate them.

“It is also expected to support the Imo State Government’s free education efforts in public schools as well as discourage early marriages among the girl-child,” he added.

He added that the school essentials including sandals, bags, school uniforms, books and other writing materials would help the beneficiaries attain a certain level of education in life.

Lawal said since the commencement of the Corporate Social Responsibility intervention in 2020, the bank had been working with Evolve and other stakeholders.

According to him, the bank has reached out to 15,000 students in over 35 schools across Imo, Kano, Lagos, Abuja, Kogi, Rivers, Edo, Delta, and Akwa Ibom states.

“The project which contributes to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4) of United Nations (UN) hopes to reach 50,000 young girls in eight years.

“This year, 1,000 students across 10 designated public secondary schools, will be reached in five states,” he disclosed.

Also speaking, Mr Godwin Ejeh, the Project Manager of Evolve Charity Trust, a non-governmental organisation, said the objective was essentially to reverse the effect of global warming.

“The objective is essentially to reverse the effect of global warming following a research that if you educate the girl-child, you contribute to reversing the impact of global warming which is what gave birth to the project vision.

“So far, the global number of students that have benefited is over 25,000,” he disclosed.

While appreciating the donors, the Principal of National High School, Arondizuogu, Mrs Chike Anaekwe, commended Polaris bank and the NGO for the items.

“The school, parents and students appreciate what Polaris bank and partners have been doing over the years. Not every parent can afford some of these items at the moment.

“We will be very grateful if Polaris bank continues this gestures,” Anaekwe said.

Two elated beneficiaries, Miss Victory Chukwuye from Iheme Memorial Secondary School, and Master Chika Utazi from Akokwa High School, expressed their excitement over the gesture.

“These educational items will help us to further our education and achieve our life goals,” Chukwuye stressed.

“I am so excited about this. I have been wearing slippers to school, but now I can wear sandals and good uniform to school,” Utazi said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz