Education
Additional Strains of COVID-19 on Education
By Gregory Kronsten
Education has been hit particularly hard by COVID-19 and the lockdowns imposed in almost all jurisdictions.
We refer to the second instalment in June of COVID-19 impact monitoring, a publication of the National Bureau of Statistics in partnership with the World Bank.
It noted that 35 per cent of households with children of school attending age reported some contact between pupil and teacher, compared with just 19 per cent in April/May. (Schools were closed at the time of both these surveys). Yet the share of households reporting some educational activities was unchanged at 61 per cent.
Government revenue has fallen sharply across Africa, indeed across the world, as a taxable activity has been closed or curtailed as a result of COVID-19. This is true of direct and indirect taxes, levied on domestic business and foreign trade.
Spending cuts have been the predictable consequence of the shortfall. In Uganda, for example, teachers have not been paid since February.
In Tanzania, schools have been reopened, and access restricted to teachers, meaning that extra-curricular activities and contact with the outside world have been frozen.
There is little doubt that most African education systems require major reform. Curricula are designed by academics without input from the private sector and government.
Further, teachers tend to come from a pre-digital generation. At the same time, Google and Apple are looking for tech-savvy young people with soft skills (initiative, creativity and problem solving among others), and do not insist on a university degree.
That said, such companies are not going to soak up the pool of unemployed youths in Africa. When we are told that 30 per cent of the youth in the world will be African in 2050, our initial reaction is to worry rather than dwell upon the opportunity. UNESCO data show that 89 per cent of students in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) do not have access to household computers and 82 per cent lack internet access.
We hear a lot of aspirational ‘edu-tech’ talk from think tanks and private-sector providers that is not grounded in reality. There is a limit to the number of game designers and animators that our new corporate behemoths recruit.
‘Blended and digital learning’ is desirable in itself but is surely not a core requirement in the informal economy. We feel that being tech-savvy does not complete the skillset for would-be employees. Digital does lower the price point certainly but does it reduce it sufficiently for the vast majority of the population?
As ever, there are steps forward to note. In Morocco, we understand that universities are government-funded but that the private sector drives the focus of higher education. Carnegie Mellon University has set up in Kigali in partnership with the Rwandan government and is addressing the shortage of engineering graduates in the region.
Closer to home, Lagos State government is working with social enterprises to provide internships, skills training and basic preparation for youth for employment.
We welcome all these steps and hope that they will be multiplied across the continent. At the same time, all should recognize the huge blow to public resources from COVID-19. Where funding is available, public health will be ahead of education in the queue. The private sector has an important role to play but has to earn a living from its work and is unlikely to get involved in what we will term grassroots education.
Gregory Kronsten is the Head of Macroeconomic and Fixed Income Research at FBNQuest
By Adedapo Adesanya
President Bola Tinubu has approved the renaming of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) College of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Kaduna, in honour of the late statesman, General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, in a move aimed at preserving his legacy while strengthening Nigeria’s specialised energy education framework.
The PTDF announced that, following a presidential directive, the institution will now be known as the General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua University of Geological Sciences and Engineering Technology.
In a statement, the Fund said the renaming reflects the federal government’s recognition of Yar’Adua’s contributions to national unity and Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
The late statesman, who died in 1997, was a prominent Nigerian soldier, politician, and businessman. He served as the Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, under General Olusegun Obasanjo’s military administration from 1977 to 1979. He was the elder brother of former Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
“This historic renaming honours the enduring legacy of the late statesman, General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, celebrating his profound contributions to national unity and the democratic journey of Nigeria,” the PTDF stated.
The institution, established to develop high-level manpower and technical expertise for Nigeria’s petroleum and energy industries, is expected to continue its academic and research activities without disruption despite the name change.
According to the PTDF, the university will maintain its focus on delivering advanced education, research and technology-driven solutions for the country’s oil, gas and emerging renewable energy sectors.
“The institution remains firmly committed to its mandate of delivering world-class research, specialised training, and cutting-edge engineering technology solutions to power Nigeria’s oil, gas, and renewable energy sectors,” the statement added.
The Fund further assured students, academic partners, industry stakeholders and development institutions that all existing programmes, collaborations and operational activities would continue seamlessly under the university’s new identity.
“All ongoing academic programs, partnerships, and operations continue uninterrupted under this new institutional identity,” PTDF said.
The renaming comes as Nigeria intensifies efforts to build local capacity and technical expertise to support energy transition goals, deepen indigenous participation in the petroleum industry and strengthen research-driven innovation across the energy value chain.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A sustainability-focused programme known as Airtel Green Schools has been launched by Airtel Africa Foundation, as part of activities to commemorate the 2026 World Environment Day, themed Climate Action.
The initiative will create environmental learning spaces in primary and secondary schools, with the spaces to be branded Airtel Garden.
Already, the company’s 10 adopted schools, located in nine states across the country’s six geopolitical zones, have been onboarded as Green Schools.
Each of the schools now features an Airtel Garden, with dedicated sections for edible crops, fruit trees and shade trees, enabling pupils to learn firsthand about food cultivation, biodiversity and the importance of increasing green cover to help mitigate the effects of climate change.
The gardens also incorporate composting stations where organic waste generated within the school environment can be converted into nutrient-rich compost. To boost circular economy practices, plastic recycling segments have also been built into repurpose common wastes such as plastic bottles and tyres.
The beneficiary schools of the programme include St. George’s Nursery and Primary School, Ipaja, Lagos; Yahaya Primary School, Zaria; Iyeru-Okin Primary School, Iyeru-Okin, Kwara; St. John Primary School, Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State, and Community Primary School, Amumara, Imo State.
Others are Presbyterian Primary School, Ediba, Cross-River; Migrant Farmers Community Primary School, Umuahia, Abia State; Gwange III Primary School, Maiduguri, Borno State; Mayflower Secondary School, Ikenne, Ogun State; and Government Day Primary School, Gombe State.
“We are excited to inaugurate Airtel Green Schools, which are designed to go beyond awareness and create real behavioural change within Nigeria’s school communities.
“Through the Restore, Reduce and Educate pillars, we are equipping young people with practical tools such as gardens, recycling awareness, and environmental learning resources.
“Our goal is to create a replicable Green School model that can be scaled and sustained over time, ensuring that environmental education becomes part of everyday learning for the children in our adopted schools,” the chairman of the foundation, Mr Segun Ogunsanya, stated.
Also speaking, the chief executive of Airtel Nigeria, Mr Dinesh Balsingh, said, “Climate action becomes meaningful when awareness is translated into action. Through the Airtel Garden, we are creating living classrooms where pupils can learn practical lessons about environmental stewardship, sustainable agriculture, waste management and the importance of protecting our planet.
“We believe that empowering young people with these experiences today will help shape a more environmentally responsible generation tomorrow.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof Oluwatoyin Temitayo Ogundipe, has been appointed as the chairman of the governing board of the National Universities Commission (NUC).
He was chosen for the role by President Bola Tinubu, according to a statement on Monday by the president’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga.
Prof Ogundipe succeeds Professor Olufemi Raphael Aina, who resigned his appointment after less than one year in office.
President Tinubu appointed Professor Aina in July last year, and the board members were inaugurated in November 2025.
As NUC Chairman, Prof Ogundipe will oversee the regulatory body of the Nigerian university system, focusing on funding, global competitiveness and academic stability.
He is expected to provide visionary leadership at the NUC and sustain the credibility of the Nigerian university system by advancing quality, access, and integrity in the education sector.
Prof Ogundipe headed the University of Lagos between 2017 and 2022. He is a professor of Botany with expertise in molecular plant taxonomy, biosystematics, ethnobotany, cytogenetics, forensic botany, and ecological conservation.
He holds a PhD in Botany from Obafemi Awolowo University and an MBA from the University of Lagos.
Currently, Prof Ogundipe, 66, serves as Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.
He is a fellow of several professional bodies, including the Nigerian Academy of Science, the Linnaean Society of London, and the Royal Society of Biology, London. He has also served as President of the Botanical Society of Nigeria and Chairman of the Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC).
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