Nigerian TVET programme makes UNESCO global awards final

A Nigerian vocational education programme, Summer School, has been named one of three finalists in the 2026 UNESCO-UNEVOC Global Awards for Innovation in Technical and Vocational Education and Training.

The initiative, which provides free vocational and academic learning activities for public secondary school students during long holidays, was selected in the Resourceful Innovation category.

Run by Twim Institute in Oyo State, the programme will compete with an interactive exhibition for innovation and learning in technical education from Brazil and FanikishaHUB, run by Artcom Enterprise in Kenya.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute, Olumide Adeleye, the programme began in 2014 with about 20 students and has since benefited more than 800 young people.

He said the five-to-eight-week programme was designed to help students who had become disengaged from formal education rediscover their abilities through practical and creative activities.

“Participants take part in practical sessions in media production, technology, fashion and culinary arts. They also engage in academic activities, including mathematics, vocabulary exercises, quizzes and group projects, as well as organised excursions.”

Explaining the inspiration behind the initiative, he said, “The idea came from my experience as a class teacher in a public school in an underserved community, where I witnessed students losing interest in education and dropping out.”

He added, “I developed the programme around the belief that practical and creative learning could help students regain their confidence and reconnect with formal education.

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“When learners build vocational skills and create with their hands, they discover they are not stupid. Give a child back their confidence, and they will fight to be successful.”

The institute’s Chief Operating Officer, Moremi Adeleye, said the initiative was designed to give students opportunities to demonstrate their abilities beyond conventional classroom assessments.

“A student who finds it hard to express an idea in a written examination may show creativity by making a video, presenting a news report or working with a team on a practical project such as sewing clothes or cooking, as we do at the summer programme.

“When those students are able to perform vocational and creative tasks successfully, it suddenly clicks that they can do well academically as well,” she said.

UNESCO-UNEVOC, UNESCO’s International Centre for TVET, launched the awards in November 2025, with 12 finalists selected across four categories. The winners will be announced at an event scheduled to be held in Berlin, Germany, from December 1 to 3.