Nigerian NGO Grants Scholarships to Students in Makoko Slum

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Do you think that education is mandatory for every child in the modern society? Can education truly help a child to face the challenges of the future and achieve success?

The answer is a definite yes. Education is simply the process of acquiring knowledge that helps a person to mentally develop in order to adapt to the changing dynamics of the modern world. Your educational qualification will help you in securing a good job, advance your career and achieve success in life. However several under-developed nations lack proper infrastructure for providing its civilians with the opportunity to get basic formal education.

Nigeria is among those countries where formal education for the youth has become a serious concern. Although the most of the state governors are trying hard to cope with the issue, but due to lack of qualified teachers and shortage of adequate schools the education system has taken a toll in the last few years.

However, there is still hope as several NGOs (Non-Government Organisations) are working towards developing the Nigerian education system. Recently, CEE-HOPE, a Nigeria based NGO, has granted scholarship to 10 children in Makoko, a slum situated in Lagos. This grant will help the children to get free primary education. Makoko has one of the highest rates of children who are not formally educated.

According to a UNESCO report published in June 2013, Nigeria has the maximum unschooled children in the world and is estimated to be around 10 million. This situation will surely have some serious social implications in the future which will adversely affect the economy of the country.

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The scholarship offered by CEE-HOPE (Centre for Children's Health Education, Orientation and Protection) has brought many students back to school after spending a long time at home. The recipients of the scholarship, which includes children from ages four to eight, were excited to go to school for the first time. The children were admitted to the Whanyinna Primary School which is built on stilts and is located on the lagoon at Makoko. The NGO also provided the students with schools bags, shoes and school uniform as well.

Whanyinna Nursery and Primary School is among the most prominent schools in the region. The institute was donated and constructed in 2009 by the Yatch Club, a group of foreign visitors troubled by the illiteracy rate in Makoko. The school has a total of 215 students and one of the very few English medium schools.

The generous offer from CEE-HOPE Nigeria has not only encouraged the teachers and students, but has also pleased and elated the parents as most of them are unable to pay the N30 daily school fees.

CEE-HOPE (Centre for Children's Health Education, Orientation and Protection) is a Nigerian NGO that works for the betterment of children’s health, rights, welfare and overall development. They are striving to help the children who reside especially in the rural areas and the urban slums. Mrs. Betty Abah, the Executive Director of the organisation was motivated to reinstate hope to the child of the region with their Harbingers of Hope Scholarship which is aimed for the needy and impoverished children.

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The Harbinger of Hope Scholarship aimed to support 30 children in the pilot programme and the initial batch included 5 poor students from Ikotun. The 2^nd batch of scholarships under the Harbingers of Hope scholarship programme was given to the students in Makoko. The next batches will be granted to schools in the Otto and Badia communities.

 The scholarship includes expenses related to school uniform, reading and writing materials, school fees and other charges. The NGO has made this their basic agenda for their welfare and scholarship programmes for needy children. Even though the nation has plenty of resources, it has not been able to nurture the potentials of its young population. Mrs. Abah also aims to diminish the numbers of unschooled children with such gestures.

CEE-HOPE wishes to eliminate the problems related to illiteracy and develop these children for a better future. It is only through proper education that the children will be open to learning new skills and develop the willpower to face the challenges of the ever changing world. The NGO plans to grant scholarships to even more students in the region and grow the number of beneficiaries gradually.

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Open Distance Learning to Strengthen Nigeria’s Educational Standards

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Education in Africa is no more a debatable topic like what it had been for years. With the rapid growth in technology moreover, countries like Nigeria have now managed to bring over 4.8 million internet users. This is indeed an amazing achievement and a matter of pride for the African continent where Nigeria has emerged to be the only nation with the highest population online.

Furthermore, the importance of distance learning has been recognised by the Nigerian National Policy in providing lifelong education, which would act as the base for the education policy of the country. It also stated that an individual after completing junior secondary education will be allowed to either continue full-time courses by blending work and studies, or embark on a full-time employment without considering the option to pursue higher studies later.

Objectives of the Nigeria National Policy

The Nigeria National Policy clearly stated their objectives of offering open and distance learning:

• Giving individuals the opportunity to access quality education and ensuring justice in educational opportunities for those who had been denied earlier
• Helping employers meet their needs through special certificate courses for their employees at work
• Inspire globalisation among students dealing with tertiary education curriculum
• Restructure the internal and external effect of brain drain in tertiary institutions by taking help of teachers or experts regardless of their workplaces

The policy also set guidelines as what should be the nature of Open Distance Learning. Here are some of them:

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• There must be interactive texts available for both teaching and learning for all academic open distance learning courses. With the help of DVDs, USBs and CD-ROMs, interactive learning will be strengthened to a good extent
• Students will not be required to attend classes or sit face to face with their instructors. However, in case of examinations or practicum, students will have to be present.
• As far as the system of study centres is concerned, it should not only ensure academic support but social support must also be given
• The partnership creators especially in university centres will be offering reasonable means of providing study centres.
• There will be continuous assessment as well as summative assessment that would include examinations and portfolios enabling validation of achievement.

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The National Open University of Nigeria has now matriculated more than 1,400 students who had earlier applied for different university open courses. Even the director and the Vice Chancellor, Magaret Boro, emphasised on the fact as why it’s very important for students to enrol with NOUN in comparison to the traditional universities. “Young people were not coming here before because they thought it is a school for the elderly. But today, they are coming even for their first degrees. Capacity in conventional universities is inadequate and so they come here,” said Magaret. (Source:bit.ly/1gDW3r6)

So, students in Africa who have been deprived from pursuing higher studies under accredited universities would now be able to make their dreams come true with the benefits of open distance learning courses. Although Nigeria has already achieved loads of success in these years, plenty of innovations are on the way to strengthen its educational standards.

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