British Council Organises Int’l School Award

Ugo Aliogo

As part of its desire to create friendly knowledge and understanding the people of United Kingdom and other countries, the British Council has organised the 2019 International School Award (ISA) to recognise the outstanding work done by schools that are committed to developing international dimension in the curriculum to help young learners become effective global citizens

Speaking at the award ceremony in Lagos, the Director, Operations, British Council Nigeria, Stephen Forbes, said across the world, the face of education and learning strategies are changing.

He said rapid technological improvements now impact on the way people live and work, adding that children and young people have the opportunities to travel, not just physically and personally, but virtually, creating a borderless experience for learning.

“Without doubt, previously held modes of standardised teaching and individualised test taking are one size fits all approach could no longer adequately prepare young people for the future.

“The students in our schools today need something different, they are growing up in a very fast paced world. As new technologies, new labour markets and digital markets open up new opportunities, they also pose challenges and risks to the individuals who are joining the new workforce.

“To be fully prepared for work and life in a global economy, it is essential that young people develop the right skills; this requires a deep absorption of new ways of working, new ways of thinking, and new ways of living in a global world which requires innovation and problem solving.”

The guest speaker, the founder of the Winford Centre for Children and Women, Basirat Razaq-Shuaib stated that one out of every of six children struggles with sensory-based learning issues, adding that 14 per cent or one in seven children are struggling with development disability or learning difficulty.

Razaq-Shuaib, who spoke on ‘How Inclusive is Your School’, explained that some of the benefits of inclusive education are better quality of education for all learners.

She maintained that inclusive education is essential for creating an inclusive; building new talents which would have otherwise would have been ignored.

From the ceremony, it was learnt that ISA provides a framework for schools to develop an action plan and implement international activities throughout the year and encourage schools to collaborate with schools through ICT, creative pedagogical practices and real context for learning.