As part of its mission to revolutionize education in Nigeria, MTN Nigeria recently hosted a forum of stakeholders within Nigeria’s educational sector to generate collaborative ideas for the sector’s transformation. Present at the event were the Director, Social Mobilization, Universal Basic Education Board, Dr Ossom Ossom; Chief, UNICEF Lagos Field Office & Head of Private Sector Partnerships, Celine Lafoucriene; Founder, Passnownow.com, Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji and Chief Digital Officer, MTN Nigeria, A’isha Mumuni, among other key stakeholders.
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a profound shift in the global approach to learning, revolutionizing the way education is delivered and experienced worldwide. Students and teachers globally had to embrace virtual learning models. Following the pandemic, the digital approach to learning has continued to thrive, with founders developing innovative platforms to enhance learning and knowledge sharing.
Recognizing the current state of the educational sector in Nigeria and the need for transformation that meets global standards, MTN brought together key stakeholders to discuss pressing issues and explore potential solutions and opportunities for collaboration.
In her opening remarks, A’isha Mumuni spoke about the digitization of learning around the world and the need for quality and accessible education. She further stated that MTN is eager to collaborate with these stakeholders to move the Nigerian educational sector forward. “ I cannot deny the frontiers that technology has opened. At MTN, we believe that everyone deserves the benefit of a modern connected life, and one of these benefits is education; that’s why we’re here. We need to work with the education industry because we are building leaders of tomorrow. If we are unable to educate them using technology, then we’re not doing a good job”.
Keynote speaker, Dr Ossom Ossom, emphasized the need for collaboration between the public and private sector to change the trajectory of education in Nigeria. “This engagement is very important because we should be able to draw the kind of insight that emanates from the private sector and tie that into what the government is doing and see how we can make change”.
A wide range of participants, encompassing policy makers, founders of educational technology platforms, leaders from public and private schools, teachers, parent representatives and even students participated in a series of thought-provoking panel sessions.
This inaugural focus group discussion is a testament to MTN’s commitment of making an impact and causing great change within the Nigerian community.