Grace School: Forging Global Partnership for Academic Excellence

Following its recent partnership with a foreign institute, Loyalist College, Ontario, Canada, Grace School, Lagos has become the first Nigerian school to partner a foreign institution to provide overseas admission as a critical factor for educational advancement. Mary Nnah reports

Loyalist College recently signed a curriculum partnership agreement with Grace Schools, Lagos, the first of its kind between an Ontario college and a Nigerian secondary school. Under the agreement, graduates of Grace Schools can earn the first year of a Loyalist Business diploma in Nigeria before transitioning to the college‘s Belleville campus to complete their programme.
With this, Grace School will start academic programmes for Loyalist College on its premises in Nigeria. This is a huge investment and foresight to support the aspirations of Nigerian students.
Grace School has become an ambassador for the education system, showcasing Nigerian schools’ enormous potential and capabilities to compete on the global landscape.
Loyalist College President and CEO, Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan, said, “We are pleased to work with Grace Schools to make Loyalists a destination for Nigerian students to acquire employability and life skills that prepare them to succeed in their future careers.”
Loyalist College will begin full academic sessions in Nigeria in May. This brings into operation its agreement with Grace Schools, Gbagada, to serve as its official representative in Nigeria.
Grace Schools becomes the Nigerian campus for Loyalist College, Ontario, where students spend the first year of study before going to Canada to complete their education at the main campus. The Director of International Education, Loyalist College Canada, Mr. Jim Whiteway, who visited Grace Schools recently for an on-the-spot assessment, noted that the partnership provides opportunities for students to experience the global quality education Loyalist provides at Grace School.
Whiteway commended Grace School for its focus on providing quality education.
According to him, the opportunities provided by Loyalist College allow students to gain employment within the first few months after their education.
Loyalist College has a system that ensures a strong focus on premium quality education.​
He stressed that students would not travel to Canada but spend the first year of study in Nigeria.
He concluded that the credentials of Loyalist College are globally acceptable, with over 50 years’ existence.
Grace schools (both primary and secondary arms) founded by the late Deaconess Grace Bisola Osinowo in 1994 are schools with a remarkable difference. The primary arm was founded in 1968.​
The school remains focused on providing quality education. It is reputed as the first Nigerian school to partner with a foreign institution to provide overseas admission here in Nigeria.
The Executive Director of Grace Schools, Mrs. Olatokunbo Edun, said, “This partnership provides quality education with affordable fees for parents who want to improve learning experiences for their children. It’s an opportunity for students to achieve their academic dreams.”
Under the agreement, graduates of Grace Schools can earn the first year of a Loyalist Business diploma in Nigeria before transitioning to the College‘s Belleville campus to complete their programme.
For their second year, students have the option to transfer into the three-year Business Administration-Accounting advanced diploma programme. Graduates who wish to build on their diploma can earn a Bachelor of Commerce degree in just two additional years through the Business – Accounting – UOIT BCOM Stream programme or pursue one of several one-year Loyalist postgraduate certificate programmes.
When the gates of Loyalist College open for academic activities in May at the Grace School premises, it ushers new dawn for Nigeria’s educational system.