The stage is set for winners of Sterling Bank’s Art Competition to be honoured at an elaborate ceremony on November 8, in Lagos. Three winners emerged in the competition, which commenced in May 2014, and was opened to children between the ages of 5-12. They were required to draw or a write an essay on the bank of their dream.

Shina Atilola, group head, strategy and communication, said that the bank introduced the project to encourage students improve on innovation and critical thinking. He explained that the children were allowed to design and create the bank of their imagination, which could be expressed as a painting, drawing, writing and through a presentation. “The most creative ideas are shortlisted for various prizes. The first, second and third prizewinners will go home with scholarship awards of N500, 000, N300, 000 and N200, 000 respectively. There will also be other cash awards, gadgets and other prizes to be won. This initiative is aimed at identifying talents and harnessing same for global competitiveness,” Atilola explained.

Atilola who emphasized that the Bank will continue to invest in child education especially in the area of financial literacy explained that unless the private sector comes in to support education in the country, the challenges facing the sector may continue to hamper the growth of the sector in the country. He explained that there is need for institutions to promote financial literacy among students which would equip them with the ability to make informed financial judgments and effective decisions about the use and management of money from a young age which determines the child’s long-term financial security. “Government is doing so much to develop the sector but we are not there yet that is why the private sector must come in and invest in the education sector if we really want our children to get quality but cost effective education,” he said.

Atilola explained that the bank has instituted scholarship opportunities for brilliant children that excel in competitions organized by the Bank. “Just recently, we concluded a mathematics competition in collaboration with a school in Lagos. More than 1,000 children entered for this competition and top performers were beneficiaries of various cash awards. The winner got a N500, 000 in scholarship support, the second N300, 000 in scholarship support, and the third got a N200, 000 scholarship support,” he said.