‘No one can do it alone:’ Chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucriere underscores need for public-private sector partnership in education

2020 marked a turning point for education globally. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a rapid shift, propelling students towards new learning methods, with video conferencing platforms taking centre stage.

Post-pandemic, the world has returned to its normal activities, but the implementation of technology in learning has remained and continued to advance, with educators and institutions around the world embracing virtual learning and digitized teaching methodologies.

Recently, MTN Nigeria hosted a number of key stakeholders in the educational sector, including policy makers, school administrators, teachers, students and parents to discuss the change that needs to happen in Nigeria’s education.

The Nigerian educational system  has been in need of massive improvement for a long time, and with the utilization of technology in education and its constant advancement, this much needed transformation has become a matter of urgency.

Speaking at the event, the Chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office & Head of Private Sector Partnerships, Celine Lafoucriere, highlighted the need for quality and accessible education, as children are the future leaders of Nigeria, citing that there are currently 10.2 million out-of-school children in the country.

Beyond improving the standards of education in Nigeria, it is evident that there is also a need to ensure that such quality education is accessible to all young Nigerians.

She also emphasized that the private sector needs to be actively involved in providing quality education that equips youth with the skills they need to thrive. “I think everyone has long realized that no one can do it alone. Whatever your government is, or what their ambitions are, no one can do it alone here in Nigeria nor anywhere in the world. I have been learning and talking about the skills gap for 25 years, and we’ve long known that if the private sector is not on the table, it is not going to work; because they need to tell us what kind of skills they need and they need to understand the youth as well”.

Fortunately, the elevation of the educational sector in Nigeria is on its way to becoming a reality, as MTN Nigeria has set out to actively participate in taking Nigeria’s education system to where it ought to be.

The event had informative lectures from various distinguished speakers and stimulating panel sessions . It was agreed that everyone within the educational ecosystem, including the government, private organizations and the community as a whole, have a part to play in making the change we want to see in education a reality.

MTN Nigeria remains committed to transforming the lives of people and making significant impact in Nigeria in diverse ways.