UK to work with Nigeria on affordable, quality education

Insight Africa UK with British Department for International Trade will discuss the current state of education in Nigeria and work towards forging a mutually beneficial relationship with UK universities.

Wale Adebanjo, communication manager, British deputy high commission, made the plan known in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday.

Adebanjo said the discussions would be held at the launch of  Insight Africa UK Nigeria to be hosted at the British high commission in Abuja on October 4.

He said the aim of the collaboration was to make quality education and training more affordable and more accessible to all.

Adebanjo said the collaboration would: “Help to improve the quality of healthcare through quality training for healthcare providers.

“Link Nigerian institutions with reputable universities from the UK to explore areas of collaboration’’.

He said Insight Africa UK was working with some British universities to deliver services to specific countries in Africa and extend advisory services and training to stakeholders in education and training.

According to Adebanjo, the areas of particular interest are teacher training and re-training of teachers, continuous professional development, internship and exchange programme.

Others are study tour, trans-national education partnership, fly in faculty, joint venture and research and dual, joint, double and concurrent degrees.

Adebanjo quoted Ralueke Parkin, executive director, Insight Africa UK, as saying,  “We are looking forward to start our work in Nigeria.”

“Our services are a new avenue for educational institutions, entrepreneurs, leaders and stakeholders in Nigeria and Britain to connect and seek results in collaborative approaches.’’

He also quoted James Wharton, parliamentary under- secretary of state at the Department for International Development (DFID), as saying that “Nigeria’s success truly matters to the UK and to Africa as a whole”.

“As an outward-looking, globally engaged nation, I want to deepen the broad range of support and assistance the UK provides Nigeria, including in health, education and economic reform.”