Director of Education and Founding Head of Charterhouse, Lagos, John Todd has said that if a significant portion of the foreign education expenditure is allocated to primary and secondary education abroad, it raises questions because Nigeria should ideally be capable of meeting the educational requirements at that level within the country.
Business Insider Africa reported that Nigerians invested $1.38 billion in overseas education between January 2022 and September 2022.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, Todd said one of the goals of introducing CharterHouse in Lagos is to provide an equivalent quality of education in Lagos, rather than sending Nigerian children overseas to the UK for their education.
Charterhouse, a prestigious British private educational establishment with a history spanning more than four hundred years, earlier introduced its inaugural African school located in Lagos.
The establishment is scheduled to commence operations in September 2024.
He said, “I think the worry for me is that so many Nigerian students are leaving at primary school or secondary school, not because there are not good schools, but they don’t have the range of options.
“At the end of the day, one of the biggest cities in Africa, the money is here, but we’re not seeing that level of education development.”
He said that to provide an equivalent quality of education in Nigeria, it would be necessary to have comparable or superior facilities, equally skilled educators, and a commitment to investing in individuals who can contribute to the school’s growth.
“We have this dream for our local staff that you can come in with nothing and go out with a masters degree,” Todd added.
Consequently, it will require a significant 10 to 20-year effort on our part, but their dedication can lead to the growth of the local community.
He also stated that their approach provides people with a choice, saying “You can make a choice and spend more to educate your children in a different way.”
He mentioned that, from a parental perspective, you view it as a commitment in which you invest more to secure higher-quality teachers.
“We will pay our teachers very well. We will also invest significantly in training them,” he said, “make sure they can do the job better so that the learning in the classroom is improved because in education, the single biggest factor in student success is the teacher.”
CharterHouse has plans to eventually encompass both primary and secondary education, but its initial focus now is on children aged between 5 and 9 years old. The secondary school, as well as a boarding school, are scheduled to open in 2026.
Frances Ibiefo
Follow us on:
