For many Nigerian children, an examination is simply a test of what they have learned in the classroom. For Kidemia, it can also be an opportunity to discover how children think, solve problems and engage with the possibilities of technology.
That approach was on display at the 2026 Kidemia STEAM Awards, where young learners were recognised for academic excellence, creativity, problem-solving and future-ready skills.
Held in Lagos, the awards brought together pupils, parents, educators, policymakers and industry leaders for a celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics and the growing role of technology in education.
The awards followed a digital Common Entrance scholarship assessment conducted through Kidemia’s learning platform. Rather than focusing solely on academic knowledge, the technology-enabled assessment was designed to evaluate pupils’ analytical thinking and digital readiness.
A total of 564 pupils successfully completed the digital assessment, with three students emerging as the overall top performers. Two were from Children’s Way Primary School, while the third came from Estaport Schools. The winners received scholarships and recognition for their performance.
The recognition was designed to do more than celebrate high scores. It highlighted the importance of creating opportunities for children to develop the skills they will need in a world increasingly shaped by technology, Artificial Intelligence and digital transformation.
Representing the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, a ministry official commended the initiative for complementing government efforts to improve learning outcomes and expose children to opportunities that can prepare them for the future.
The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Morakinyo Akin, also applauded the initiative, emphasising the importance of investing in children and encouraging excellence, innovation, discipline and lifelong learning from an early age.
Beyond the awards, the event created space for students to hear directly from professionals and young technology leaders.
A panel featuring Dr. Ronke Adeniyi, popularly known as RonkePosh, technology entrepreneur Joshua Agboola, Agomeze Saint and Shehu Zubairu encouraged the students to think beyond conventional career paths and develop the confidence, creativity and resilience needed to solve problems.
The speakers challenged the children to see education as more than preparation for examinations, urging them to think about how knowledge can be transformed into solutions for their communities and the wider society.
That philosophy is central to Kidemia’s wider work.
Founded by Ruth Adaeze Zubairu, Kidemia operates as an education technology platform designed to help schools, teachers and parents better understand learning outcomes through digital assessments, performance analytics and future-skills programmes.
Zubairu said the awards were created to redefine how educational excellence is recognised and to give children opportunities to identify and develop their individual strengths.
“Our vision is to raise a generation of confident, innovative and technologically empowered young people who are prepared to compete globally while solving local challenges,” she said.
The Kidemia platform currently supports digital assessment and learning, while its STEAM Awards are designed to recognise children demonstrating excellence across creativity and innovation, STEAM learning, leadership, financial literacy and problem-solving. The 2026 programme is open to learners from Primary 5 through JSS3 across Nigeria.
The emphasis on early exposure is increasingly significant as Artificial Intelligence and digital technologies begin to reshape education and employment.
For Nigeria, the challenge is not only to produce more technology professionals in the future but to begin developing curiosity, analytical thinking, creativity and digital confidence while children are still in school.
Initiatives such as the Kidemia STEAM Awards provide one pathway for identifying children who are already demonstrating those qualities and giving them encouragement to develop further.
The larger opportunity is to move from celebrating young talent occasionally to building systems that consistently identify, mentor and support it.
For the pupils recognised at this year’s awards, the certificates and scholarships may mark the beginning of that journey.
For the wider education system, the event offers a reminder that Nigeria’s technology future will not be built only by today’s professionals. It will also be shaped by the children currently learning, experimenting, asking questions and discovering what they are capable of creating.
And if those children are given the right opportunities early enough, some of them may become the innovators Nigeria is looking for tomorrow.
