Applications open for Osinbajo’s Future Perspectives & UNESCO’s Innovation to Transform Education Training Programme

Applications are now open for the Future Perspectives and UNESCO IESALC Innovation to Transform Education Training (ITET), with the aim to train the first cohort, selecting 50 young education innovators from Nigeria to attend a five-day on-site training in November 2023.

It would be recalled that in July, there was an announcement concerning the collaboration between Prof. Yemi Osinbajo’s newly formed Organisation, Future Perspectives, and UNESCO IESALC to launch the Innovation to Transform Education Training (ITET) in Nigeria.

A background to the training came from seven regional youth consultations that took place in 2022, across the globe which culminated in the Youth Declaration, a collaborative document shaped by half a million young voices from 170 countries demanding that youth are recognized as co-creators of the educational transformation required in our times. To put forward the recommendations and requests in the Declaration, the United Nations launched the Global Youth Initiative (GYI), a ground-breaking, multi-stakeholder global effort that aims to ensure meaningful youth engagement and leadership in education policymaking.

Future Perspectives in partnership with UNESCO IESALC, which leads one of the capacity-building components of the Global Youth Initiative (GYI), will ensure the capacity of youth and students, especially the most marginalized, is strengthened to enable them to become agents of change in transforming education in their specific national contexts through ITET.

Building onto consultations with young Nigerian education innovators and other key educational stakeholders, ITET seeks to provide evidence-based training in three key areas:

APPLIED POLICY SKILLS

Youth participants acquire applied policy skills, enabling them to understand the national policy ecosystem and meaningfully engage in decision-making processes in the field of education.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Youth participants develop project management skills while reflecting on their contextual situation, enabling them to effectively plan, design and implement.

INNOVATION SKILLS

Youth participants are empowered to discover their own innovative perspectives on educational change, by training on creative problem-solving techniques, critical thinking, and entrepreneurial approaches to address challenges in education.

By the end of ITET, all trainees will have experienced the complete six skillset trainings which include: Pluralism Assessment, Evidence-Based Skills, Technical & Methodological Skills, Digital Skills, Project Cycle & Project Planning, Social & Inter-Cultural Skills.

The training is an on-site, five-day program in Lagos, which will consist of lectures, workshops and practical activities across different skill sets with a focus on transforming education. Training costs will be covered for all selected applicants. All applicants must submit an initiative or current project that can transform education in Nigeria/Africa with a focus on EdTech. All participants will pitch their innovation or project to the ITET Judging Panel at the end of the workshop using the skills acquired during the training. A certificate of completion will be awarded to those who complete the workshop.

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY:

50 applicants will be selected for the capacity-building training, targeting young representatives recommended by key education institutions and other key educational stakeholders in the country.

To be eligible, the candidate must:

• Be a Nigerian Citizen.
• Be aged 18 – 35 years.
• Submit an idea or initial project on EdTech Innovation to Transform Education.
• Fall under one of the following categories:

Pre-service or in-service education stakeholder who is currently studying at higher education institutions with education-focused programs, OR;

Interdisciplinary university student or practitioner who has a crossover interest or projects on education, OR Education practitioner at national, provincial, and local levels, OR;

Youth leader from major youth organizations in Nigeria based in higher education.

At the end of the training programme, 10 Outstanding Participants qualify for EdTech Incubation to accelerate Innovation, and the Top 5 Winners get Financial Prizes.

HOW TO APPLY:

Visit Future Perspectives’ website: futureperspectives.org for guidance and further information on the Program. Access the Application Form and submit it before September 20, 2023. Only pre-selected candidates will be invited to a second round of applications where they will have to submit a pitch video, photograph and reference letter.

SCHEDULE:

Application Form Deadline (First Round): September 20, 2023

Announcement of Pre-Selected Candidates: September 29, 2023

Video Submission (Second Round – Only for Pre-selected Candidates): October 2 – 6, 2023

Notification of Final Selection: October 20, 2023

ITET: November 20 – 24, 2023