Nigeria is Africa’s biggest market and 4th largest economy. With a population of over 200 million, it is by far the most populated on the continent. According to predictions, the country will have over 400 million inhabitants by 2050.

Such numbers look astonishing, but we have to ask how the government responds to demographic challenges and what the prospects and future perspectives are. Nigeria can not rely on oil but must invest in its future by diversifying the economy and boosting educational and entrepreneurial sectors.

Numerous scholarly articles have extensively discussed Nigeria’s oil as a resource curse, attributing it to the presence of weak institutions, corruption, mismanagement, and overall sluggish development. Education is a crucial factor in achieving success. It requires effective leadership and a well-planned, long-term strategy to implement the necessary and appropriate reforms in the educational system.

This is a Global Classroom for Democracy Innovation meeting. The initiative was launched in 2020 as the COVID pandemic brought face-to-face learning to a grinding halt all over the world.

We were teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate courses on democratic participation and global development at Stellenbosch University (South Africa), the University of Toronto, Scarborough (Canada) and University West (Sweden). Our students told us that they felt isolated. They missed daily interactions with their peers and the other formative interactions that make for a rich, fulfilling university life.

We tried to nimbly adapt to recorded or real time lectures, while trying to facilitate and encourage student participation. But we and the students felt that something more was needed. So we created the Global Classroom for Democracy Innovation. The idea was to bring students together to learn and interact around a shared set of issues.

South Africa has a new law governing education. The Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act changes several aspects of how schools are managed. It was introduced to address inequalities in the school system by standardising rules on admissions, language policies, discipline, and even the operation of homeschooling. But it has sparked controversy. Education professor Wayne Hugo answers questions about the act.

How does the act change the current school system?

The act shifts some control such as language policy from local school governing bodies to provincial education officials, changes rules on how schools manage student admissions and on language of instruction, and sets new guidelines on discipline and homeschooling.

It also makes certain levels of education compulsory, with the possibility of parents facing jail time if their child is found to be truant. Previously, only grades 1 to 9 were compulsory in South Africa. The act makes grade R (currently classified under early childhood development) and grades 10 to 12 compulsory.

The MTN Foundation, under its MTN Foundation Scholarship, yesterday disbursed over N114 million as scholarships to 380 students, including visually impaired ones, across Nigerian universities for the 2024/2025 academic session.

The foundation also inducted the 380 graduates into the MTN Scholarship Alumni Association. The scholarship award was part of the foundation’s efforts to promote academic excellence and boost the education of visually impaired students in higher institutions of learning

Speaking at this year’s edition of the MTN Foundation Scholarship Award and alumni induction ceremony at Cubana Hall in Enugu, MTN Foundation’s Director Dennis Okoro said the foundation’s scholarship was unique.

The Deputy British High Commissioner, Mr John Baxter, said 8 million children across 11 Nigerian states have benefitted from UK-funded educational programmes aimed at improving learning opportunities. Speaking at the launch of the Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria programme in Southwest Nigeria on Thursday, Baxter said the UK was committed to supporting education in the country.

He noted that the UK government has been involved in various initiatives, including the DEEPEN programme, which had enhanced learning outcomes for children in private schools, particularly those serving low-income households, over the past decade in Lagos.

In collaboration with the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria Commission and the SEED Care and Support Foundation, the British High Commission officially launched the PLANE programme in Lagos State.

Olam Agri, an agribusiness in Nigeria specialising in food, feed, and fiber, has awarded scholarships to the children of its employees and members of its host communities in Kaduna and Ilorin.

According to a statement from the company, the scholarships cover essential educational expenses, including tuition, books, and uniforms. Olam Agri’s aim is to invest in education to create brighter futures for young people while contributing to the development of local communities.

Business Head of Integrated Feed & Protein at Olam Agri, Amit Agarwal, emphasised the importance of education, saying, “We believe education is a fundamental right and a powerful tool for unlocking potential. These scholarships represent our investment in the future of our employees’ children and the communities we serve. We hope this support will inspire them to achieve their academic goals and contribute to society.”

A group of Isara Remo indigenes based in the United States, Afotamodi USA, has donated educational materials worth over N45m to 350 students newly admitted to public secondary schools in Ogun State’s Remo North Local Government Area.

The donations, which include school uniforms, bags, sandals, exercise books, and other writing materials, were distributed to students from 14 public primary schools in Isara and neighboring villages. These students had recently passed their common entrance examinations and are set to begin their Junior Secondary School education for the 2024/2025 academic session.

Under the leadership of Mr Leke Adesoye, the group has undertaken this initiative to support their community amid Nigeria’s economic challenges, ensuring that the education of these young students remains uninterrupted.

The Niger State Government has disclosed that it would spend over 50 per cent of its 2025 budget on education and health. The state governor, Mohammed Bago, gave the assurance on Wednesday during the symbolic distribution of kitchen utensils to boarding schools and classroom furniture at the Educational Resource Centres, Minna.

Bago further disclosed that N1.8 billion has been earmarked as a matching grant to the Universal Basic Education Commission, stressing that his administration was committed to the timely payment of counterpart funds to support educational projects in the State.

The governor who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Usman, said, “About half of the 2025 budget will go to the Education and Health sectors. N1.8 billion has been earmarked as a matching grant to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).

Primary school teachers under the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) FCT Wing have embarked on an indefinite strike over unpaid entitlements and other unresolved industrial issues. The Union announced that it has directed all primary school teachers in the Territory to resume the suspended strike action starting Wednesday.

This was revealed in a communiqué signed by the State (FCT) Chairman, Comrade Abdullahi Shafa, and issued at the end of the State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) meeting of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) FCT Wing at the FCT teachers’ house, Gwagwalada, Abuja.

“The SWEC-in-session acknowledged and applauded the efforts of the Honourable Minister of FCT, His Excellency, Barrister Nyesom E. Wike (CON), for his intervention and payment of 40% of the total sum of 25 months’ Minimum Wage Arrears to the primary school teachers.

The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria welcomed hundreds of students, parents, and educators to the 23rd Annual EducationUSA College Fair, held at the NAF Conference Center in Abuja. The event, organized by the U.S. Embassy’s EducationUSA Advising Center, aimed to provide Nigerian students with information and resources to pursue higher education in the United States.

Ambassador Richard M. Mills Jr. delivered the keynote address, emphasizing the strong people-to-people ties between the United States and Nigeria. “Your presence here represents the flourishing interest from Nigerians considering studying in the United States,” he said.

According to the Institute of International Education, Nigeria sends more students to the U.S. than any other African country. Last year, over 17,600 Nigerian students studied at 970 institutions across the U.S., with Texas being the most popular destination.

Stakeholders at the 5th Annual National Conference of Early Childhood Association of Nigeria (ECAN) have called for the establishment of a commission for Early Childhood Education (ECE). The communiqué acknowledged that the call for ECE commission is based on the creation of the secondary education commission that has helped its growth and development.

The conference, which was held at the Lagos State University of Education, Noforija, Epe, Lagos, advocated for the creation of ECE commission at federal level and states establishes ECE Board separately to boost the development of early childhood education in the country.

The ECAN conference featured two lead paper presentations; “Philosophical Tools for Scaling Up Early Childhood Education in Nigeria: The Role of Stakeholders” by Dr. Shoaga Opeyemi and “The Greater Role of Government in Scaling up the Status of Early Childhood Education in Nigeria” by Prof. Olumide Ige.

An educational firm, AHZ Nigeria, asserted that quality education is key to resolving Nigeria’s structural challenges.

Country Director of AHZ Nigeria, Dr Olukayode Shiroye, in a statement said that studying in the UK equips students with world-class education and vital skills needed to drive Nigeria’s development in critical sectors such as technology, healthcare, and business.

Shiroye stressed the significance of UK education for Nigerian students despite economic hurdles. He noted that graduates returning from the UK could make substantial contributions to the Nigerian economy by applying their global knowledge locally.