By Alex C
Worried over the dwindling standard of education in the country, Fidson Healthcare Plc, through its Astymin brand, is spending over N10 million to reward over 200 best graduating students in public and private schools spanning across South West states, including Delta, Anambra and Enugu States with educational materials during the Astymin Brilliance Reward (ABR) initiative.
The ABR initiative, stakeholders believe, is one of the ways the company is supporting academic excellence, bearing in mind that the quality of education at its developmental stages of any child is critical upon which further learning is built upon.
Speaking to Pride Magazine Online ahead of the reward holding at the Grange School, Ikeja on the 19th July 2014, Ola Ijimakin, General Manager, Marketing, Fidson Healthcare Plc, said that reading culture amongst youths is on the decline as the drive for academic excellence is no longer strong.
With increased internet accessibility and proliferation of social networks which should be tools for social education, research and intellectual exchange have unfortunately becoming platforms for various delinquencies; Ijimakin noted that the ABR is one way the brand intends to contribute to the development of the country’s educational system and the future of the Nigerian children.
According to Ijimakin, “This is another season of delight for the kids who have worked so hard and perform exceptionally in their academics. The company is once again using this platform to demonstrating its brand promise of adding value to people’s lives; this time around by promoting children’s educational development, courtesy of the Astymin brand.”
Explaining the rationale for the event, Ijimakin noted that the Astymin brand supports various school programs in primary schools.
“Essentially, students in primary schools in Lagos state write an essay on a topic agreed upon by their teachers. The teachers also assess them and chose the best of the entries. Astymin rewards the child with the best essay and this happen on a monthly basis. There are also online activities on the Astymin Ofiicial website, www.myastymin.com which students can access for educational materials.”
Stakeholders believe that the future of Nigeria is tied to what we leave to Nigerian children but more to what we leave in them.