Iyanda Ahmed@Ahmed

Brace-up The Young(BTY),  a non-profit organization  has called for inclusive and accessible education for young people in Nigeria. 

The  youth-led organization is dedicated to educating and mentoring young people to become innovative and accountable leaders by building their capacity through leadership development training, providing access to quality education and increasing civic participation. 

Education is at the heart of individual, national and global development. Quality education, one of the Sustainable Development Goals, is also the pathway toward achieving all the other goals (poverty eradication, gender equality, innovation and infrastructure among others).

Recently, BTY joined the United Nations General Assembly and the world to commemorate the International Day of Education themed “Changing Course, Transforming Education” amidst falling budgetary allocation to education, dwindling enrolment rate for children, rising insecurity, and general uncertainties as to the direction of literacy and learning in view of the rapidly changing landscape of the future of work globally.

As it was detailed in UNESCO’s global Futures of Education report, transforming the future requires an urgent rebalancing of our relationships with each other, with nature as well as with technology that permeates our lives, bearing breakthrough opportunities while raising serious concerns for equity, inclusion and democratic participation.

Commemorating the World Education Day, The founder of BTY, Fajemitokun Obasanjo during the School Tour 2022, noted in an interview with WNP, that the theme of International Day of Education 2022 “Changing Course, Transforming Education,” highlights the efforts to make education more inclusive and accessible to all youths.

He said the theme was rooted in Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

"Over 87 of our volunteers representing Lagos, Ogun, Kwara, Oyo, Kano and Imo States Nigeria, visited 45 primary and secondary schools to sensitize them on the importance of education and  how to leverage on the power of education to achieve everything they dream about."

"Our teams of professionally trained volunteers were saddled with the responsibility to make the pupils and students know that their dreams were valid, that they could become anything they set their minds to become, and that there is no substitute for quality education."

"The students were  encouraged to eschew risky behaviors, such as juvenile delinquency, drug abuse, violence, HIV/AIDS and STD's," Obasanjo added.

Obasanjo, further said inclusive and accessible education is crucial to achieving sustainable development and can play a role in the prevention of conflict.

”Indeed, education is a ‘development multiplier’ as it plays a pivotal role in accelerating progress across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals, be it poverty eradication, good health, gender equality, decent work and growth, reduced inequalities, action on climate or peaceful societies ”.

The group, however, charged teachers to  give their best to their students and to be joyful to be a part of the students’ life formation.

Speaking further, he said in all the schools, both the teachers and students were excited and motivated to cultivate the habit of using ICT for educational purposes and to value quality education. 

"With our BTY School Tour 2022, we reached 4,629 students and 107 teachers respectively. All these were possible because of the wonderful support we got from all those who believe in what we do. The project was supported by CWAY Food and Beverages, Lagos SDGs Office and Mr. Olalekan Fatodu, the Senior Special Adviser on SDGs to the Governor of Lagos state, Governor BabaJide Sanwo-Olu, Volunteers Connect and Young Alive Network."

"We are always excited for all the numerous donations (cash and kind) from friends and partners. It's helping us make the difference and building our youth towards a better tomorrow in an emerging society like Nigeria.

In an interaction with Godwin Gift, a 13 years old girl in JSS3 of Lagos State Model Junior College, said she would love to be a Medical Doctor.

She said, "Although I know about the internet as a tool to access new information, I want to learn how to use it for educational purposes”. 

Gift, however, promised to learn and use technology to save more lives  in Nigeria, while avoiding conflict as a nationalist.