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Innovation in education
Shell is taking part in the United Nations Innovation Fair which showcases innovative practices, approaches, and projects in education around the world. The fair will be held at the UN Office in Geneva, Switzerland, from 4–7 July 2011.
A commitment to local communities
As part of our approach to sustainable development, we work to increase the opportunities for local communities to benefit from our presence.
We partner with local organisations to help ensure that our social investment programmes – including those on education – are locally relevant and financially sustainable beyond the initial investment.
We support a variety of educational initiatives around the world, ranging from scholarships and internships, curriculum development and web-based science learning programmes to enhancing the quality of education for isolated rural communities.
The fair will highlight three examples of innovative programmes related to education that Shell supports across the world:
1. The Cradle to Career scholarship scheme:
Enhancing the quality of education for pupils in Nigeria’s rural communities.
Good schooling and access to educational resources are vital to give young people in the Niger Delta a good start in life. Every year the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd. (SPDC) and its partners finance thousands of scholarships for secondary school and university students.
SPDC has recently launched a new pilot scholarship scheme in partnership with two top private schools in the area. SPDC and its partners provide complete funding for 60 exceptional pupils drawn from public schools in remote, hard to reach communities in the Bayelsa, Rivers and Delta states – sufficient for them to attend a private school for six years.
SPDC will then provide the best-performing students with university scholarships towards future employment in the sector.
2. The Shell Questacon Science Circus:
Encouraging young people in remote Australia to discover science.
Schoolchildren in remote areas of Australia can have difficulty accessing the educational opportunities found in towns and cities. The Science Circus tours the regions to put science and technology into the hands of pupils, literally.
Visiting teams deliver interactive science demonstrations in schools. They also set up public exhibitions for people to try out inspiring hands-on activities. Each year the Science Circus visits around 400 schools across more than 150 communities. To date, it has reached millions of schoolchildren, teachers and families.
The Science Circus is delivered through Shell partnerships with Questacon, The National Science and Technology Centre and the Australian National University.
3. World Challenge:
Rewarding innovation and enterprise at grassroots
In partnership with BBC World News and Newsweek, Shell sponsors a global competition for groups or individuals who are tackling environmental or social issues within their local communities.
Since its inception in 2004, World Challenge has awarded financial prizes to some 70 projects around the world based on the results of public votes.
Shell has also funded the scale-up of various projects from local to national level. In addition, we share knowledge, provide practical mentoring and offer business advice to help selected past projects become financially sustainable.
