Sterling Bank, Educare launch South-East maths and science Olympiad

Sterling Bank is taking its search for young science and maths talents to the South-East, with a new regional Olympiad for secondary school students.

The South-East Mathematics and Science Olympiad is being run with Educare, an education firm. The two parties signed the agreement at the bank's headquarters in Marina, Lagos.

According to the bank, the competition is meant to give students a platform to test their knowledge beyond classroom assessments, sharpen their analytical and problem-solving skills, and compete with peers across the region.

It matters to ordinary families because it widens the stage on which their children can be seen. The bank said it also wants to find the schools producing exceptional students, learn what they do differently and copy those methods elsewhere in Nigeria.

Why the bank says it is doing this

Sterling Bank's Chief Growth Officer, Edward Ogunmekan, said the gap is not talent but opportunity.

"What is missing is not talent, but opportunity,"

He said Nigerian children have gone out into the world and achieved extraordinary things, and a platform like the South-East Olympiad gives others the same chance.

Educare's Chief Executive Officer, Alex Onyia, said the partnership shows why private firms should invest in education.

"If you care about educating the next generation, it means you genuinely care about the country that gives you the opportunity to do business,"

He added that the hope of the coming generation should be invested in as if nothing else matters.

The bank's Group Head, Education Finance, Yonodu Okeugo, said the Olympiad is not just about winning. She said it is about inspiring excellence and identifying the schools nurturing exceptional talent, so their methods can be replicated across Nigeria and beyond.

The new contest builds on the Sterling Online Maths Quiz Competition, which the bank already runs with Educare and which has allowed students across the country to compete. The latest effort adds science to the mix.

Okeugo said education is one of the priority sectors under the bank's HEART strategy, which stands for Health, Education, Agriculture, Renewable Energy and Transportation.

What happens next

The sources did not give a date for the first round of the Olympiad, the prizes on offer, or how students will register. Those details are expected to come from the bank and Educare.

The push comes as Nigeria's school-age population keeps growing. Both outlets cited UNICEF's 2026 report on public finance for basic education, which projects the country's child population will rise to about 130 million by 2034, citing United Nations population projections. That means more children will be looking for quality education opportunities in the years ahead.