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How NSFP came into being

Where best to take a gargantuan problem than to Oxford University the "fount of all knowledge".

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To  honour an invitation to hold a seminar on our experience in leading a self-help group to improve education in Africa, two  NSF (UK) officials, Mr Wole Sanwo and Dr Remi Kayode , boarded a train and took the Nigerian education system challenge to post graduate students of St Anne’s College, Oxford University. Read full blog here

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It seemed a daft challenge that  NSF(UK), would have to take on, to support the education system of a nation with a population of over 200 million. Nigeria has indeed been attempting, to develop/implement policies on an education system that’s fit for the 21st century. However, as with other resource challenged countries, other priorities gain an edge over social servicing. With scarce resources the added value to the society, longer term, of investment in education are a difficult business case to make. Nigeria postindependence has faced a myriad of problems including ; political unrest, poor economic environment and  poorly funded education system, compounded by frequent unrest within the academic sector.

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One key challenge from the Oxford  seminar was how a small  organisation based in the UK can influence local policies remotely  ?

Volunteers at NSF(UK), especially its education team , set about addressing this with a strategy to create an NGO with a singular purpose to work in partnership with NSF(UK) to leverage in resources from overseas into the Nigerian education eco system through the delivery of local programmes.

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At NSFP, we are keen to be a part of the solutions on offer in the country and in our humble opinion the areas for our  intervention include the following:

  • Effective collaboration between  all stakeholders , from policy makers, school authorities , students (current and former ) , investors etc)

  • Diversity and inclusion of all in  key decisions on education.

  • Brain gain partnerships. We can  facilitate the collaboration with Nigerians in the diaspora to support the transformation of the education sector.

  • Significant improvement in  investment in Education finance as our  members are committed to fundraising drives to cover student  tuition, teacher compensation, ICT, Libraries,  and renovation of dilapidated buildings.

  • Teacher training  programmes. To improve the quality of teaching and raise academic standards. NSFP will contribute directly to the upskilling of teachers and support the development of new curricula in schools that work together to identify local problems and proffer solutions. We will facilitate teachers’ participation in internationally recognised competitions to benchmark with other countries, network and exchange ideas amongst others.

  • Education seminars. NSFP will host  this annually to promote discourse on important issues and lead  actions from  seminars to include engaging  Nigerian authorities (Federal and State)  on developing new or revising existing  framework for important policies such as safeguarding every Nigerian child.

 

Other literacy programmes

  • International competitions . NSFP will facilitate the participation of students in internationally recognised competitions,  with an aim to boost literacy

  • Book Drives. NSFP will work with International partners to promote reading culture and boost literacy by delivering new books to the education ecosystem.

  • Local competitions (Have Your Say).To give students in Nigeria the opportunity to express themselves for example in dance, poetry, songs, and debates etc.

  • Our support for  students with special needs (the gifted) with our partnership work with a world class 6th form A ‘levels  (STEM) college based in Africa. Students are granted scholarships to study here  and they also have the opportunity to proceed to international universities on fully funded grants too.

  • Our support for Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND)- through our fundraising and publicity campaigns.

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