Nigeria’s first secondary school education fair holds in the UK

Often, Nigeria is the first port of call for foreign education investors who are hunting for students in the West African sub-region. If they are not coming to woo prospective students to overseas education (secondary or tertiary), they are introducing one programme or the other for their campuses in any of the West African countries.

But that trend is about to change as a group of educationists under the auspices of Association of Private Educators of Nigeria (APEN) in partnership with Brand Edge Limited, have concluded arrangements for the first ever top Nigerian Private Secondary School Education Fair in the United Kingdom.

With the theme ‘British Standard, African Values,’ Project Director and Managing Director, Brand Edge, Mr. Femi Akinwunmi, who stated this at a briefing in Lagos, said with the expected success of the forthcoming project, Nigeria was on the verge of making a history and breaking new grounds.

He noted that the overall aim was to showcase to the international community the quality of Nigerian secondary schools and also help Nigerian parents in the Diaspora who desire their kids to be groomed in an African culture while receiving standardised learning and exposure. The fair will hold from Friday, April 1, through Sunday, April 3, 2016 at the London Excel Centre.

Akinwunmi said the participating schools are credible and have proved their worth over the years as their students go on to outshine foreign students in higher institutions across the world. He said at the fair, the participating schools would conduct on-the-spot interviews, tests and offer admission to thousands of kids living in the U.K. with the hope of giving them renewed educational experience.

According to him, “Research has shown that kids in their teens are very impressionable with a great tendency for distraction. The greatest burden is the legal realities, as they cannot exert full authority and discipline in line with African values. Realising the power they have in their hands, kids exploit it maximally and if care is not taken, they lose the essence of their being. Lastly, is the difficulty these hard working parents have in keeping their kids focused on a decent career path.

“A case in point is the President of the United States, Barrack Obama whose relocation from his childhood community in the United States to Honolulu transformed his life. His escape from the pressure of the environment in which he grew up changed his life and mind-set. Today, we know the story.

He further expressed optimism that if properly harnessed, the education sector could become an inflow of foreign earnings which would provide more jobs, awaken other sectors like real estate and ultimately boost the country’s economy while reducing complete reliance on crude oil as the country’s sole major product export.

Flagging off the countdown to the fair, Director of Private Education and Special Programmes, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mrs. Ajoke Gbeleyi, commended the organisers for their effort at proving to the world that Nigeria has a marketable product in education.