With the right education for young people, a myriad of challenges facing developing countries can be tackled. This was the submission of the immediate past Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, Thursday, at a virtual interactive dialogue themed “EdTech for Transforming Education in Nigeria,” the first public event of Future Perspectives co-founded by him.
In fact, the virtual dialogue was a collaboration between Future Perspectives (an initiative of the immediate past Vice President and some of his young partners) and UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC) to support the capacity-building component of the United Nations Global Youth Initiative in equipping young people with necessary skills for transformative education.
Six youth education innovators and stakeholders from different backgrounds and levels of engagement in EdTech, such as practitioners, creators, advocates, and policymakers were members of the virtual panel discussion that explored the challenges faced within the Nigerian educational ecosystem. Speakers indicated some of the solutions they have applied to scale-up their innovations.
While giving the keynote remarks, Prof. Osinbajo noted that “if there were a single issue that could address problems of poverty, joblessness, inequality, and even better health outcomes, especially in developing countries today, it would most likely be education.”
He explained that at Future Perspectives, education is the “cornerstone of our organization’s work, as we recognize its profound impact on social change and youth empowerment.
“Our mission aligns perfectly with the aspirations of the high-level UN Transforming Education Summit, a crucial global summit held in September last year which responded urgently to the global education crises and placed education at the forefront of the global agenda.”
Acknowledging the important role young people play across the world, the former VP made the point that “no matter the resources available or the great ideas we have, very little of the change we desire can be accomplished without young people stepping up to their roles as catalysts and innovators of change.
“This is why Future Perspectives, the organization itself, is established to drive transformative change in Africa, through the power and potential of the African Youth.” READ ALSO:
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The panellists at the virtual dialogue were Rachel Onoja, Head of Operations at AltSchool Africa and TalentQL; Afeez Saka, Founder of Community Tech Lab; Victoria Ibiwoye, Founder of One African Child Foundation; Oluwaseun Kayode, Founder/CEO of Schoolinka; Joy Ogbonna, Founder of Kareer Day and Julius Ilori, Founder of Learner’s Corner.
Guest speakers who provided their own insights were Mrs Folashade Adefisayo, Immediate Past Commissioner of Education in Lagos State; Lanre Ogundipe, CEO of Imperial EdTech; Oyedayo Otokiti, CIO of Lagos Business School; Karimot Odebode, Founder of Black Girl’s Dream Initiative; and Rasheedat Sadiq, 1MT (3rd DAN).
The dialogue featured representatives of UNESCO IESALC: Ms. Bosen Lily Liu (Lead on Young People Transforming Education, UNESCO/IESALC), Ms Giulia Ribeiro Barao, education stakeholders, tech advocates, members of the diplomatic community, and the Executive Director of Future Perspectives, Mrs. Abby Asekun, (who gave the opening remarks).
The event was moderated by Olanrewaju Oniyitan, whose Foundation provides holistic solutions to helping schools serving children from low-income families build lasting pathways to quality education.
