By Martin Paul
Abuja
Indications have emerged that the new FX regime has affected demands for United Kingdom (UK) schools by Nigerian parents.
Marketing director of Abbey DLD group of colleges, Mr. Charles Johnson, said the new order has changed Nigeria from being the biggest African market for UK schools.
Abbey DLD, a group of schools based in Birmingham, Cambridge, London and Manchester, in a visit to Nigeria, revealed that the foreign exchange regime was reducing the number of Nigerians seeking admission to UK schools.
Corroborating Johnson’s stand, Muazu Jalaludeen, Abbey DLD student admissions manager (Africa), said the number of Nigerians seeking admission into these colleges was dropping, whereas increases were recorded from Uganda and South Sudan.
“Nigeria has been the foremost market for not only Abbey DLD, but most of the colleges in the UK. But because of what is happening with foreign exchange, the college agreed to explore other African markets”.
“They had relied mostly on the Nigerian students, based on what they notice that numbers are going down, that was when it was agreed to let other African markets be involved.
“Right now there are students that are there (in the UK) and their parents are having difficulty in paying their tuition fees, accommodation, and even their pocket money”, Jalaludeen said.
He said Abbey DLD had helped Nigerians in preparing for ‘A’ levels exams and foundation courses before moving on to top universities in the UK.
Jalaludeen said Nigerian students in the UK are performing excellently, highlighting that one of the students from Adesoye College in Kwara state, had 97 percent in his overall examination.
He added that with current challenges in the Nigerian economy, the colleges were looking at how to facilitate tuition payment in naira.
“We are, at our own level, trying to the point that we had to discuss if it is possible for them to pay the fees in the local currency, just to save them the problem of sourcing forex”, he said.
