For many years, many Nigerians wey fit afford am don send dia children to beta British boarding schools – but now some of those institutions dey set up campuses for di most populous nation for Africa.
Last year, Charterhouse bin launch one primary school for di city of Lagos and dem go open di secondary school dis September.
Rugby School go also begin to offer secondary education for September. Oda institutions wey dey popular like, Millfield, Wellington School and Harrow, dey also chook eye for opportunities for Nigeria.
Dis for sure dey come with a price tag for Nigerian parents – but big pipo for di kontri wey get money well-well bin don dey send dia children go UK for secondary education according to history.
Dis na sake of how di British curriculum dey, prestige and global opportunities.
“I dey happy well-well about am,” Karima Oyede tok, one British-Nigerian management consultant, wey her son currently dey year 10 for Rugby for di UK but im go move to di Lagos school for September.
Her family bin wan relocate to Nigeria but dem bin no fit sake of di children education.
“To get di opportunity to experience di British system for im kontri of origin na di best of both worlds,” she tok.
Nigeria already get plenti private schools for evri corner, but high-quality, internationally recognised education inside di kontri go appeal to many parents, particularly di ones wey wish to preserve dia children cultural identity.
“African parents love di fact say dem dey give dia children international standing so dem fit compete wit dia counterparts for any oda part of di world, but dem no want dia children to lose dia African-ness,” na wetin Ijay Uwakwe-Okoronkwo, di founder of Nkuzhi Learning Foundation for Nigeria capital, Abuja tok.
Di educational consultant, wey dey advises parents and schools on international boarding options, explain di more relaxed, less respectful attitude wey children dey come back wit, afta dem go school for abroad and e no dey always dey appreciated.
Dis cultural dilemma dey extend to di growing conversation around LGBTQ issues. Same-sex relationships and public displays of affection wey dey illegal for Nigeria and dem no dey openly discuss homosexuality or even promote am.
Na sometin wey di new crop of British schools don take on board. For example, while Charterhouse UK dey display a rainbow flag, di Nigeria school no dey do like dat.
“We be British independent school but sitting firmly witin Nigerian cultural needs,” na wetin John Todd, head of Charterhouse Nigeria tok.
“E get dis big concern about Western cultural views.
“For parents hia, we know say na a really big issue. Na di reason parents dey worried about di UK schools.
“I no dey make any judgement – Na just di way e be.”
British institutions for Nigeria no get choice but to “follow di law of di land”, im acknowledge, as im add say : “We dey 100% compliant.”
E recognising Nigeria deeply religious society, Charterhouse also permit parents to take dia children home from di boarding house for Sunday church services, wit di expectation say dem go return by Monday morning.
E get many reasons behind di growing interest of prestigious British schools to open campuses for Nigeria.
While regions like di Middle East and China dey already saturated wit international schools, Africa na relatively virgin territory.
“Nigeria na di gateway to Africa, and Africa be like di last continent for British schools to establish inside,” Mark Brooks, wey be export champion for di UK Department for Business and Trade tok.
Im dey organise annual events for Nigeria wia about 20 British schools dey meet prospective students and parents.
“Nigeria get an incredible reputation for producing driven, high-achieving students,” Mr Brooks tok.
“E no get any school wey I don work wit wey neva recently get a Nigerian student serve as head boy or deputy head boy. A student fit join di sixth form and im go end up to be di head boy within one year.
“I don bring hundreds of head teachers to Nigeria over di years, and di word don spread for di UK say we need to take Nigeria seriously.”
Di timing also dey important, as di cost of sending children to di UK don go up well-well.
Just three years ago, di exchange rate of di local currency na 500 naira to £1; now e dey for 2,200 naira.
On top of dat, di Labour goment for di UK recently impose 20% VAT on private school fees.
Beyond tuition (school fees), families dey face additional expenses like flights for both students and visiting parents.
Establishing these schools for Nigeria go allows families to maintain di same standard of education and dem go significantly reduce di financial stress.
Di annual fees for Charterhouse UK, for example, dey around £60,000 ($78,000), whereas di fees for di Lagos campus dey equivalent to approximately £15,000.
“Our main classroom teachers na expatriates, but 90% of di staff na local,” Mr Todd tok.
By employing local pipo for roles like assistant teachers, administration, finance, human resources, marketing, facilities, security, gardeners, drivers, PAs and secretaries, di school go significantly reduce costs compared to di UK, where labour dey much more expensive.
Big education gap already exists for Nigeria, with many parents wey dey opt for private education of varying quality.
Many dey struggle to pay di higher fees instead of dem to send dia children to goment schools, wey dey mostly free but na poorly trained teachers dey dia and dem dey always go on strikes.
As a result, di arrival of British schools fit no change di education systemmof Nigeria sharp – sharp.
However, dem pose a threat to di big man schools wey don already established diasef, like di British International School for Lagos and The Regent School for Abuja, wey dem open for di early 2000s.
Dis schools don be top choices for a long time for di pipo wey fit pay di annual school fees wey dey reach tens of thousands of dollars sometimes.
“Rugby School Nigeria dey come to also support, develop and learn from di schools wey currently dey Nigeria,” na wetin Mr Brooks, wey dey in charge of di school’s marketing tok.
“We dey come to help with partnerships as well, teacher training, and a whole range of initiatives.”
Mr Todd believes di Nigerian market dey too big enough to accommodate all di new schools without threatening existing ones. About 40% of di 200 million population dey under 14.
Im expects say dem go feel di greatest impact for di UK.
While Charterhouse UK typically get a long waiting list and no go dey affected, oda boarding schools wey pipo no dey too choose like dat fit experience lo turnout for enrolment sake of di new competition for Nigeria.
“Interest for our secondary school dey very strong,” Mr Todd tok. “We already get Nigerian parents for di UK wey dey send dia children to di Charterhouse for Nigeria for September.”
In fact, reaching out to Nigerians for di UK don be one of dia key marketing strategies.
“You get dis premier brand at a lower price, and evri Nigerian get one aunt or uncle for Lagos” wey go fit be guardian, im add.
E fit be say dis trend go extends to British universities. Nigeria tertiary education system dey face even greater challenges dan di secondary sector, with many students wey dey japa to study abroad.
For 2023, Nigeria bin rank among di top 10 kontris for UK student visas, according to UK goment data.
But with foreign exchange difficulties and stricter visa regulations, to study abroad dey becom increasingly challenging – and universities wey dey rely on higher international tuition fees be like say dem dey suffer.
Earlier dis month, British MP Helen Hayes, chair of di parliamentary Education Committee, bin acknowledge say di UK higher education sector dey in trouble.
“Dozens of universities dey make redundancies and cuts to courses, trying to stay afloat sake of uncertainty over wia dia money go come from,”she tok wen she bin dey announce a session to consider di future of di sector.”
If enough Nigerian students no go fit afford to go UK to study, British universities fit find am profitable to come meet dem, as dem dey do for oda parts of di world.
In fact, Nigeria premier university, di University of Ibadan, wey dem bin establish for 1948 as a campus of di University of London, wit degrees awarded ey dey carry di same value and prestige.
Ms Uwakwe-Okoronkwo beliv say many Nigerian parents go appreciate dis opportunity, sakeof say e go allow dia children to stay for Nigeria long enough to mature bifor dem potentially travel abroad, if dem choose to do so.
“Many parents dey worried about sending dia children out of di nest too early,” she tok.
For Ms Oyede, wey her daughter go also start di Rugby School for Lagos come September, di timing of all dis no go fit beta pass now.
She say di British school opening don already been one “incentive to return home”.
Di prospect of university opportunities go be a welcome bonus.
Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani is a freelance Nigerian journalist and novelist based in Abuja and London.
