WNIFRED OGBEBO writes on why the private sector should be encouraged to key into the education sector.
It is no longer news that Nigeria aims at being one of the world’s 20 leading economies by the year 2020. In realization of this dream, the place of education needs not be over-emphasised as no country can achieve sustainable economic development without substantial investment in education.
Education is the bedrock of civilisation. To give education a proper footing in the country, there is the need for the private sector to compliment what government is doing.
Indeed, the private sector is known to have stimulated the delivery of quality education in the country right from the colonial days.
No doubt, more institutions of learning are needed to absolve the large army of youths desiring to further their education.
It is in this light that the first education fair organised by Brookstone International Foundation School in collaboration with the Northern Consortium of United Kingdom Universities (NCUK), in Abuja on Tuesday was highly commended by stakeholders.
The event attracted many critical stakeholders in the education sector who lauded the organisers and called for more of such across the country.
The chairman, House of Representatives’ committee on basic education and services, Hon Zakari Mohammed, expressed satisfaction that the call for active participation by the private sector is beginning to yield results.
He contended that unless emphasis is given to the private sector in some areas of education, the country would hardly get it right. Saying one can never go wrong with education, he declared, “If you think education is very expensive, then try ignorance.”
He said on the occasion: “We, in this part of the world celebrate families. So, you see a household boasting of 15 or 16 kids and that’s a household of father, mother and extended relationship that we appreciate.
“So our teeming youths cannot get the right education except we continue to encourage the private sector. So, for us in the National Assembly who make laws for good governance, clearly, the responsibility towards our country is to give enabling rules to allow education thrive.
“I assure you that whatever it takes to improve the private sector in terms of the education of our kids, I definitely will not lose sight of that.”
Saying Brookstone has been a success story since 2003 as evidenced by several events and its expansion from Port Harcourt to Abuja, he added: “It tells you that in a country where investment might be a bit difficult because of our teething problems, Brookstone has found a place for itself. We will definitely make sure that we make a success of education.”
Brookstone International Foundation School is one of the private schools relishing its success story today in the world of academia. The school which won the Northern Consortium of UK Universities (NCUK) Global Best Academic Award in 2016 used the occasion of the fair to also launch its Abuja International Foundation Year Centre to the Abuja market.
In partnership with Northern Consortium of UK Universities (NCUK), the school is offering an international foundation programme, leading to guaranteed admission of three years undergraduate and one year masters into the NCUK-member universities.
The African Management Services Company (AMSCo) which implements the United Nations Development Programme called the African Training and Management Services Project is partnering Brookstone Schools in this regard.
An AMSCo representative, Mrs Enobong Edet, said her organisation has been in Nigeria since 1990 and though it had worked with a lot of sectors, including agriculture and manufacturing, education became its key focus because it is a priority sector of the government of Nigeria.
She said, “Working with Brookstone hasn’t been by accident. We got involved with Brookstone in 2006 and that was when the secondary school started. So it’s been a joy working with this school, putting structures and processes in place through the technical experts that have been in place in the school, from the principal to the director of education, coordinator of school.
“If you go to our website, you will see a video clip of Brookstone schools and all the successes it has achieved over the years and I know this particular one now will be an added success story to all the achievements of Brookstone school. It’s a school I’m glad to promote free of charge without being paid because I know the standards the school has reached. It’s a school we’re glad to showcase anytime, any day. The standards and processes that have been put in place in that school are second to none.”
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Paul Arkwright who was present on the occasion described the brand new additional study centre in Abuja as part of a unique, collaborative project which he said was an outstanding example of the successful relationship between UK and Nigeria.
He used the opportunity to debunk reports of his government’s shoddy treatment of Nigerian students wishing to further their studies in the UK, saying, “Now, some people think about UK government approach to students in Nigeria that we don’t want them in UK, is wrong. Indeed, we value very highly, Nigerian students.
“I don’t know how many Nigerian students are currently studying in British universities, it’s around 18,000 and that’s the fourth largest international group, Nobody knows that about 90 per- cent of all visa applications to study in the UK are approved, not rejected for Nigerians who want to go and study in the UK.
“So part of my reason today for speaking to you, is to burst a few myths about the British education system and the value the British government attaches to Nigerian students attending our universities.”
The British envoy said there had been an increase of 8 percent in the number of Nigerian students since 2009, 2010 in British universities and expressed the hope that the growth would continue as awareness of the quality, overall education experience in the UK continued to increase.
Brookstone, according to him, already enjoys an extremely strong reputation as a quality education provider here in Nigeria expanding from their current operation in Port Harcourt while NCUK, another high quality partner, has operated in Nigeria with Brookstone for over 10 years.
“So the addition of the International Foundation Year Programme in Abuja marks an exciting edition to their portfolio, offering Nigerian students, the opportunity to complete their one-year partway programme here in the capital before achieving guarantee progression until year one of the leading degree programme at one of the 16 NCUK universities some of whom are represented today,” he pointed out.
Arkwright spoke highly of the quality of education in his country, saying “we are rightly very proud of our education system in the UK and the NCUK universities are, of course, part of that traditional excellence. It’s not widely known that seven out of ten world leaders in power today were educated in the UK at some level, so UK qualification, both academic and professional are recognized all around the world.
“Completing a degree from one of the NCUK universities will give students the skills to stand out in an increasingly competitive jobs market.
“After graduating, students who started their journey on the NCUK international foundation year one programme in Nigeria, will be able to make valuable contribution to the Nigerian economy when they start their professional career,
“I have seen many examples of these people who have been at British universities but have come back to Nigeria to give back to their country once they have developed their skills in the UK. The British High Commission in Nigeria is always proud to lend its support to the initiatives in this all important market.
“I congratulate the launch of this new study centre and the opportunities it represents for the next generation of gifted and globally ambitious students from Nigeria.”
The programme coordinator of Education Sector Investment Promotion Initiatives, Mrs. Arete Amana, said establishing education sector investment in Nigeria to allow other countries come in and create educational resources through the education hub would facilitate domestic and foreign direct investment for educational development and among other things, see to the reversal of traffic of students going abroad.
One of the students who is preparing for the one year international foundation programme, Khaleb Maneni, an SS3 student of Premier International School, said Brookstone was the next stepping stone for him because “it’s the best international foundation year school in Nigeria,” adding he would want to go to the University of Manchester to study robotics or architecture.
The chairman, board of governors, Brookstone Schools, Mr Kalada Apiafi, said the school does a lot of things apart from international foundation courses.
He declared, “The international foundational year is a progression of strategic plan. We started our nursery and primary in 2003 and we proceeded to open the secondary school in 2006 and then we partnered with NCUK to establish an international foundation year programme in 2013. And here we are, setting up an international foundation year programme in Abuja in 2017.”