Okoye Sienu, a Senior Secondary School 3 student of Lagoon Secondary School (middle) after being declared winner of the Future Ready Essay Competition of global higher education consultancy agency, StudyIn, at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos. Credit: Wale Akinselure
Okoye Sienu, a Senior Secondary School 3 student of Lagoon Secondary School, won the Future Ready Essay Competition of global higher education consultancy agency, StudyIn.
Sienu was announced the winner of the essay competition at the StudyIn Global Study Conference held at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Sienu beat 100 other students who wrote on the essay topic: “How would studying at an international university help you prepare for a career in a world increasingly shaped by AI?”
After having her essay shortlisted among the top 15, Sienu was adjudged the winner after her video presentation on the topic.
She received a MacBook for her win.
Tamilore Macaulay of Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos, emerged first runner-up and got an iPad, while James Soorefunmi, also of Lagoon Secondary School, was announced as the second runner-up and got a Tablet.
The top 15 got certificates of participation.
The win by their students saw Lagoon Secondary School receive an award as the best school, followed by Dowen College.
Other schools whose students featured among the top 15 finalists were Honeyland, Atlantic Hall, Silversands Hall, and Meadow Hall, all in Lagos.
The conference featured sessions and presentations on how the nation’s education sector was embracing Artificial Intelligence and becoming future-ready.
Country Director of StudyIn, Mary Agbu, stressed the need to balance the adoption of AI with ethical considerations and the values of education.
Agbu said education stakeholders needed to improve awareness of the changing global landscape and help students make informed decisions about their studies and future careers.
She said discussions on AI should involve parents, schools and other stakeholders to ensure that students understood the opportunities and challenges associated with the technology.
Agbu added that education should continue to promote values and ethics as AI becomes more widely adopted.
“One of the things that we really push out in the college is values,” she said, noting that the integration of AI into education should be balanced with an understanding of the value system and the ethics of education.
Also speaking, the Chief of Staff and Director at StudyIn, Adiba Ofungwu, said there was a significant gap between the realities of education in Nigeria and the demands of the changing global learning environment.
She said students needed adequate preparation to compete with their counterparts abroad, many of whom were already familiar with AI-driven learning environments.
Ofungwu said StudyIn was seeking to bridge the gap by providing students with the information and guidance needed to navigate global higher education opportunities and prepare for changing educational demands.
She added that students needed to understand their academic options, available scholarships and the relationship between their chosen courses and future career goals.