By Martin Paul
Abuja
British Department for International Trade will discuss the current state of education in Nigeria and work toward forging a mutually beneficial relationship with UK universities, an official of British High Commission has said.
Communication Manager, British Deputy High Commission, Mr. Wale Adebanjo, said in a statement in Abuja, that the discussions would be held at the launch of Insight Africa UK Nigeria to be hosted at the British High Commission in Abuja on Tuesday, Oct. 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 would be on teacher training and retraining, continuous professional development, internship and exchange programme.
Others are study tour, transnational education partnership, fly in faculty, joint venture and research and dual, joint, double and concurrent degrees.
Adebanjo quoted Ms Ralueke Parkin, Executive Director, Insight Africa UK, as saying, “we are looking forward to start our work in Nigeria.
“Our services are new avenues 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, as saying that “Nigeria’s success truly matters to the UK and to Africa as a whole”.
