The Nigerian Education Leaders Forum was hosted last week by CENTURY in partnership with GL Education, and with the support of the Department for International Trade (DIT). Following a series of successful co-hosted virtual events in Africa and India, it was a pleasure to team up with my colleague and friend Veer Shah, Senior Education Consultant at GL, to organise our first in-person forum in Lagos.
We were thrilled to be joined by the UK's International Education Champion Professor Sir Steve Smith, and Director of Education, Creative, and Sports Directorate Rupert Daniels, who delivered insightful opening and closing remarks on the government's focus on Nigeria as a key market to strengthen sustainable partnerships in, highlighting the key role that UK EdTech companies play in this.
It was an honour to be joined by school leaders from across Nigeria, with delegates traveling to Victoria Island from as far as Abuja to attend a range of speakers and panel sessions, network, and share their own innovative ideas.
For me, two key highlights of the day were the inspiring keynote speeches delivered by Kehinde Nwani and Koiki La on the future of education at Meadow Hall Group and Greensprings School. At CENTURY, we are proud to play a part in helping these forward-thinking teachers and their schools to fulfill their educational goals for the coming years.
Organising and attending this event has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my professional career to date, and I am confident that the thought-provoking conversations about the requirements of 21st century learning that arose from the day will be continued/kept alive by both speakers and delegates within their respective organisations. The future of education in Nigeria is bright.
Professor Sir Steve Smith, the UK's International Education Champion, said:
“CENTURY Tech, and many companies like it - including the schools that adopt these systems - play such an important role in enabling teachers and parents to gauge where additional resources may be required for some pupils, and in heightening the schooling experience of young students.”
Dr Kehinde Nwani, CEO of Meadow Hall Group, said:
“Education as reimagined now focuses more on empowering students with transferable skills that would help them withstand the dynamic and ever-changing nature of the world today. In this present age, known as the ‘Information’ or ‘Digital Age’, continuous learning is key, which is why I thank CENTURY Tech not only for putting this forum together - where we can share ideas and learn from each other - but also for their involvement and leadership in the edtech space.”
Lai Koiki, CEO of Greensprings School, said:
“All over the globe, educators, parents, business owners, governments, and our amazing students have shown and continue to show amazing courage, grit, and incredible resilience in handling the twists and turns the last two years have handed us.
Our common experiences have shaped and will keep shaping our schools and the impact will be felt for a lifetime. Though these have presented us with unprecedented social, economic and environmental challenges, we are also surrounded by new opportunities. The future is uncertain but one thing is sure: our children need to be ready for it.”
Learn more about the event in Business Day, Nigeria's leading newspaper.
