The Chairman Board of Governors, Olashore International School, Osun State, Abimbola Olashore, has stated that the recent withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) presents a huge opportunity for Nigeria to improve its quality of education and to meet a growing education need, both in quality and quantity.
Olashore, who made this known at an interactive session with journalists in Lagos recently, also called on the federal government and stakeholders in the education sector to up their games in the area of education.
Speaking based on statistics from the UK Council for International Students Affairs, he said Nigeria is the third top non-European country with the highest population of foreign students in the UK with high enrolment between 2014 and 2015.
He said the new immigration visa rules stipulates that immigrants on skilled worker visas (Tier two visas) from non-European countries, including Nigeria, earn at least £35,000 (N9.5 million) per annum or face deportation. This he said presents a tough scenario for many, adding that with the current high exchange rate, it is time to look inwards.”
“In the light of this, I want to implore the Nigeria government to up her game in the area of education and invest long lasting infrastructure. We at Olashore School have also engaged in series of activities to improve the standard of education given to the students.
“We ensure academic excellence, nurture children to their full potential and developing them for the 21st century leadership. At Olashore, our aim is to provide education comparable to the best in the world, blending academics with discipline, strong value system and real life skills.”
The chairman explained that most of the youths are beginning to take up entrepreneurial skills, adding, “the way the country is going now, most people are going to work for themselves. Jobs might be on the increase, but more and more of the population will work for themselves so what is more important are things that have to do with entrepreneurial skills in addition to the technical ones.
“More than ever before, the degree that is most relevant now is the degree of creativity. So the education of tomorrow is about teaching life success skills and better preparing students for the challenges that lie ahead.”
In his remarks, the Principal, Mr. Derek Smith, confessed that the current Nigeria education system fashioned after the British prototype needs to be further fine-tuned to meet the practical challenges of modern day labour market.
“The over 150-year-old British education system was designed at inception to prepare graduates for civil service jobs, but such civil service-focused curriculum needs to be further advanced. To this end, Olashore School was founded with a unique vision of drilling its students who are usually between 10 and 16 for self-reliance and dynamic leadership.
“Developing all round global leaders for the 21st century is at the core of what we do at the school. Leadership has always been at the heart of the school and as Nigeria continues to grow and change, it is vital that young leaders are developed with sound moral values, a strong academic background and the full set of competence to be successful in the 21st century.”
Smith said the school has been recognised for its outstanding educational programmes which are backed by strong policies to ensure that children are kept safe and secure all the time. The schools received series of awards like the British Council International Schools Award, Osun State Award, among others.
Recently, the Council of British International School (COBIS) inducted the school for its outstanding performance, its integration of international work into its curriculum and its successful work with GL Education.
