Why British internal schools are keen to open in Nigeria

For many years, the wonderful Nigerians have sent their children to the prestigious British internal schools – but now some of these institutions create universities in the most populous African nation.

Last year, Charterhouse launched an elementary school in Lagos and will open a high school in September.

The Rajabi School will start providing secondary education in September. Other well -known institutions, such as Millfield, Wellington School and Harrow, explore opportunities in Nigeria.

It is clear that all of this comes at a price for Nigerian fathers – but the elite wandering in the country has historically sent their children to the United Kingdom to obtain secondary education, which is attracted to hardness in the British curricula, chances of status and global opportunities.

“I am actually excited,” says Karima Oidi, adviser to the British Nigerian administration, whose son is currently in the tenth year of Rugby in the UK.

Her family meant the move to Nigeria for a period of time, but she did not do it early due to the education of children.

“Providing the opportunity to experience the British regime in its country of origin is the best in the worlds,” she says.

Nigeria has already enjoys the spread of private schools, but internationally recognized high -quality education within the country will appeal to many parents, especially those who want to maintain their cultural identity for their children.

“African parents love the fact that they give their children internationally so that they can compete with their counterparts in any other part of the world, but they do not want their children to lose Africa,” says Egayoaoi-Awkuranko, founder of the Nakozhi Foundation in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

The educational advisor, who advises parents and schools in international climb options, explains that the most relaxed and less respectable children return with them after going to school abroad are not always appreciated.

This cultural dilemma extends to the increasing conversation on LGBTQ issues. Relations of the same sex and general offers of affection are illegal in Nigeria, and homosexuality is not discussed or promoted publicly.

It is something that the new crop has taken from British schools. For example, while Charterhouse UK shows a rainbow sign, the Nigeria School does not.

“We are an independent British school, but we are sitting firmly within the Nigerian cultural needs,” says John Todd, president of Charterhouse Nigeria.

“There is this tremendous concern about Western cultural opinions.

“For parents here, we know it is a really big issue. It is a cause of concern for parents of British schools.

“I do not make a verdict – it’s just what it is.”

British institutions in Nigeria have no choice but to “follow the Law of the Earth”, adding: “We are 100 % compatible.”

In order to realize the deep religious community in Nigeria, Charterhouse also allows parents to take their children to the house from the internal house of Sunday’s Church services, with their return on Monday morning.

There are several reasons behind the increasing interest in prestigious British schools on the campus in Nigeria.

While regions like the Middle East and China are already saturated with international schools, Africa is a relatively virgin land.

“Nigeria is a gateway to Africa, and Africa is a type of the last continent for British schools to establish it,” says Mark Brooks, the UK’s Ministry of Business and Trade champion.

It organizes the annual events in Nigeria, where about 20 British schools meet students and potential parents.

“Nigeria has an incredible reputation for the production of paid and high students,” says Mr. Brooks.

“There is no school with which I work with it did not have a Nigerian student who works as a young head or a vice president. The student may join the sixth model and end up until the main boy is within a year.

“Hundreds of key teachers have brought Nigeria over the years, and the word in the UK we need to take Nigeria seriously.”

The timing has also proven a key, as the cost of sending children to the United Kingdom has increased. Only three years ago, the local currency exchange rate was 500 lights to 1 pounds; Now he stands in 2200 lights.

Moreover, the UK Labor Government recently imposed 20 % value -added tax on private school fees.

In addition to tuition fees, families face additional expenses such as flights for both students and vision of parents.

The establishment of these schools in Nigeria allows families to maintain the same level of education while significantly reduces financial pressure.

The annual fees in Charterhouse UK, for example, are about 60,000 pounds ($ 78,000), while the fees on their Lagos campus equivalent to about 15,000 pounds.

“Our main classroom teachers are expatriates, but 90 % of local employees,” says Mr. Todd.

By employing the local population in roles such as assistant teachers, management, financing, human resources, marketing, facilities, security, gardeners, drivers, secretaries and secretaries, the school can significantly reduce costs compared to the United Kingdom, where labor is much more expensive.

There is a wide educational gap already in Nigeria, where many parents have chosen special education with different quality. Many struggle to pay the higher fees instead of sending their children to government schools, which are often free but suffer from weak trainers and repeated strikes.

As a result, British schools may not change the education system in Nigeria significantly.

However, they could pose a threat to the existing elite schools such as the British International School in Lagos and the Regent School in Abuja, which opened in the early first decade of the twentieth century.

Such schools have always been the best options for those who are able to pay annual tuition fees that often reach tens of thousands of dollars.

“The Rajabi Nigeria School also comes to support, develop and educate schools currently in Nigeria,” says Mr. Brooks, who is responsible for marketing the school.

“We are also coming to help partnerships, train teachers, and a full set of initiatives.”

Mr. Todd believes that the Nigerian market is large enough to accommodate all new schools without threatening the current posts. About 40 % of 200 million population is less than 14.

It is expected to be the largest impact in the UK.

Although Charterhouse UK usually has a long waiting list and should not be affected, the lowest internal schools may suffer from a decrease in registration due to the new competition in Nigeria.

“Attention to our high school is very strong,” says Todd. “We already have Nigerian parents in the UK sending their children to sugar in Nigeria for the month of September.”

In fact, communication with Nigerians in the United Kingdom was one of their main marketing strategies.

“You can get this first brand at a lower price, and every Nigerian has an aunt or uncle in Lagos,” he says, which can be a guardian.

This trend may extend to British universities. Nigeria’s higher education system faces greater challenges than its secondary sector, as many students choose to study abroad.

In 2023, Nigeria ranked among the top 10 countries for student visas in the United Kingdom, according to UK government data.

But with the difficulties of foreign currencies and a tougher visa regulations, the study abroad has become increasingly difficult – and universities that depend on the higher international tuition fees seem to be suffering.

Earlier this month, British MP Helen Hayes, head of the Parliamentary Education Committee, admitted that the UK’s higher education sector was in trouble.

“Dozens of universities make repetition and discounts in training courses, in an attempt to stay standing on his feet amid uncertainty about where their money comes from,” She said when announcing a session to consider the future of the sector.

If Nigerian students can no longer go to the United Kingdom to study, British universities may find that it is profitable to come to them, as they have elsewhere in the world.

In fact, the first University of Nigeria, the University of Ibadan, was established in 1948 as a university campus for the University of London, and obtained the same value and prestige.

Mrs. Uwakwe-okoronkwo believes that many Nigerian parents will appreciate this opportunity, because they will allow their children to stay in Nigeria for a long time to mature before they move abroad, if they choose it.

“Many parents are concerned about sending their children from a nest very early,” she says.

For Mrs. Oyede, whose daughter will also start at the Rajabi School in Lagos in September, the timing of all this could not be better.

She says that the opening of the British school was indeed “an incentive to return home.”

The possibility of university opportunities will be a welcome reward.

Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani is an independent journalist and novelist based in Abuja and London.