Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery, has hailed UK-Nigeria governments partnership for the recent investment in Nigeria education system, leading to the opening of a $15 million Charterhouse Lagos School.

The school, which is located in the high-brow Lekki, Lagos State, sits on 70 hectares, (nearly 150 acres).

Montgomery, who said the school is an outcome of partnership between both governments, noted that it is modelled after the Charterhouse United Kingdom school, which has over 400 years of history, heritage and prestige.

He said, “Now this is all made possible by the fact that the UK government and the Nigerian government have been working and secured a deal last year.

“It sounds a bit technical, they’re called the transnational education guidelines but basically it’s a framework that enables UK investment in Nigerian education institutions with the blessings of both governments that we help facilitate from the Department of Business and Trade in the British High Commission but also the Honourable Minister for Education Dr Tunji Alausa. We work with him and his team and the Nigerian Universities Commission on those types of partnerships and we are on the verge of announcing some exciting ones in the coming months. So that’s the wider picture.

“We are very conscious that Nigeria invests in education, Nigerians invest in education, you’re very exciting customers but we genuinely feel we have a comparative advantage and we think that education is so important for the UK-Nigeria relationship because of the common language, because of some common values, because of the fact that we both have interests in each others countries.”

The envoy on the ideas behind the project, said: “And one of our concerns is that a generation of Nigerian children is going to Britain and so many of them are not coming back. By spending their time at secondary school here, our hope is that they will stay and they will make a difference. And we very much talk about this as a vote of confidence in the future of Nigeria.”

He further explained that: “There are people looking for school options, and the message is that there is now an option for top UK private education in Nigeria.

“So the UK is very conscious that Nigeria is growing, not just in size but in ambition and assertiveness. We are very conscious that you have a growing middle class and we’re very conscious that Nigerians have always prized education for their children but I think the era of the UK hoping that more Nigerians will come to the UK for either secondary schooling or for university education, those days are beginning to change and what a lot of Nigerians tell me is that they want more options for top quality education in Nigeria.

“So Charterhouse is the first major British public school coming to Nigeria but there is at least one more that’s done a deal in Lagos. And we’re aware of three more British public schools that are considering.

“We’re also very very excited about some UK university partnerships which we are on the verge of facilitating. Several universities from the UK are looking to team up with Nigerian universities to offer UK accredited courses in Nigeria and this is part of that shift where the UK wants to have a stake in Nigeria’s education system but it needs to evolve. “

He however said the idea is not to stop entirely international students from Nigeria going to the UK, stating that: “I don’t think that’s the relevant issue. We know that Nigeria is growing, Nigeria’s population is growing, the middle class is growing, the demand for education is growing, so there’s a very big market here for top quality education, and that’s the main focus of today.”

On his part, the Director of Education, Charterhouse Lagos School, John Todd, said the school is for the whole education of the Nigerian child.

He explained that the project will help Nigerian children retain their roots, “It’s probably bad news for the UK economy. But for us, it’s good news and we think if these children stay in Nigeria, they will come back to Nigeria and that means a positive difference for Nigeria in the longer term. We really do believe that.

“Many schools talk about holistic education, we want to educate the whole child. We know in Nigeria the one thing that matters is academics. And that’s why Charterhouse we think fits so well into this community.

Speaking of the project, Todd said: “It’s a 150 million dollars investment. The quality of the building, the quality of the facilities, we keep saying it’s unmatched.

“We think it’s better than the universities. We think it’s better than anything anyone’s seen, and that’s helping attract world-class sport to Nigeria. We are building an 800-seat performing arts theatre in the next few years, and we think that will also be a first in Nigeria, and we’ll start attracting more and more music, arts, all these different aspects of life.

“So we think we’re doing our bit to put Nigeria on the map and showcase Nigerian talent. Why Lagos and not any other part of the country? Let me say we started in Lagos because it is the centre of excellence, it’s the centre of commerce, and it’s probably the place where there is the greatest demand for this level of education. But keep watching because it may be coming to other places soon. 

“We believe this school and other schools like it can make a difference by keeping children here. Now all we need to do is get some really good universities and then we’ve got a complete ecosystem. Charterhouse is an unashamedly academic school.”

He also praised the role played by Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

“I think it’s always a challenge to start something new. We’ve had tremendous support from the local community and absolutely fantastic support from Lagos State Government. His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu came to open our primary school a few weeks ago, so we feel like we’re wanted in Lagos, and the demand for our secondary school has been phenomenal,” he said 

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