Teach for Nigeria, a non-profit organization focused on expanding educational and life opportunities for low income children is set to recruit another set of young Nigerians into the 5th cohort of its fellowship programme.
The selected fellows will be posted to teach students in under-resourced schools for two years across Nigeria.
This announcement was made public through a virtual launch on Thursday 15th April, 2021.
Education plays a major role in determining the future outcome of any individual as it positions them to access opportunities to make a living and improve their personal economies and the world at large.
Primary education is also as important as it equips children with foundational knowledge to build their character.
However, Nigeria continues to experience a huge educational deficit, statistics published by the Ministry of Education shows nearly 60% of primary 6 pupils cannot read at all and 25% drop out of primary school in Nigeria.
The Teach For Nigeria Fellowship programme continues to serve as a private-sector-led solution.
Through the exercise, some of Nigeria’s most promising future leaders from varied disciplines have contributed their quota to close the educational gap that exists. They have taught and inspired their primary and secondary school students to excel.
The fellowship is open to outstanding young professionals including non-teachers and existing teachers interested in being part of the movement to end educational inequity in Nigeria.
In his Keynote speech, Banky W, Ambassador, Teach For Nigeria said: ” I am a product of the hard work of my parents and a concerned teacher who believed in me and pushed me to explore my creativity and talents. We need to understand that when it comes to fixing the problems in Nigeria, no one can do it all. We need to do it together.
“We need to exercise collective efforts to rebuild our own parts of the world, rebuilding Nigeria- one child, one community, and one mind at a time. As a teacher, your voice matters and I am a living proof of that.”
Speaking at the launch, Folawe Omikunle, CEO, Teach For Nigeria said: “The pandemic showed the important role played by every individual and stakeholder. We saw how the power of collective efforts played out in the educational sectors as parents, private sector organisations and government aggregated to ensure continued learning.
“We recognise that everyone’s voice is required in the fight for equity and we are mobilising the country’s most dynamic, passionate and resilient leaders to join in this fight.”
The programme will also invariably bridge the unemployment gap by providing youths with an opportunity to develop skills and experiences that will be useful to deliver during the fellowship programme and beyond. The fellows will be better positioned to access opportunities and deliver innovative solutions for the educational sector.
Teach for Nigeria launched the Fellowship program in 2017 with its first cohort of 45 Fellows. Over the years, Teach for Nigeria has enlisted more than 400 fellows and have impacted over 45,000 students.
In addition, Teach for Nigeria has built a strong network of alumni who build on their experience during the fellowship, to continue to drive long-term systemic change across the education ecosystem. Fellows have proceeded to innovate and execute social impact projects to address educational challenges identified in their communities.
