18-Year-Old Oviesu Unveils School For Disadvantaged Children

An 18-year-old Nigerian-German student and social entrepreneur, Georgia Oviesu, has established a free school in Adiyan, Ogun State, to provide quality education and opportunities to children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Oviesu, who is currently pursuing the International Baccalaureate Diploma, said in an online interaction with journalists that the Benny Griffins Academy was established in response to the educational disadvantages faced by many Nigerian children due to their socioeconomic circumstances.

The academy is expected to officially open in September and currently has about 100 children on its waiting list.

“The truth is that many Nigerian children don’t have access to high-quality education because of their socioeconomic background, and I wanted to change that,” Oviesu said, adding that the school’s central objective was to ensure that children were not denied opportunities simply because of the circumstances into which they were born.

According to her, the academy will provide free education from the primary level to Junior Secondary School 3, with pupils receiving tuition, uniforms, teaching and daily meals at no cost.

“Everything is free of charge. Food, schooling, the teachers, tuition and uniforms,” she said.

Oviesu said the school is largely supported through the efforts of her mother, with some grants and contributions from volunteers, while the project hopes to attract additional partners from Nigeria, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom and other countries.

She said experienced educators and executives have also volunteered their time and expertise to support the academy.

The young entrepreneur said the academy was designed to go beyond conventional classroom education by identifying the individual abilities and interests of pupils and providing opportunities for them to develop their talents.

“This school is an introduction to a completely different system,” she said.

Oviesu explained that the Nigerian curriculum would form the foundation of the school’s academic programme, supplemented by German and French languages, Yoruba, creative arts, science, technology and robotics.

She added that pupils would participate in clubs and have opportunities to develop interests in areas including music, dance, theatre and film.

“We’re giving children who were never given the chance, who society saw as disadvantaged or as second-class citizens,” Oviesu said. “No child has to give up on their dream just because society deems them as less than.”

She said the long-term vision of the academy is to expand its reach beyond Ogun State and eventually establish similar institutions across Nigeria, making quality education accessible to children irrespective of their socioeconomic backgrounds.