Olashore Educational Foundation Programme as A Stepping Stone To Ease University Admission

It is a known knowledge that the foundation of a child and the overall education which a child is exposed to, from childhood to adulthood is capable of giving that child the much confidence required to mingle with peer groups in the society and also to deliver well in the work force of a country, thus making an impressive impact in the society. This goes a long way to show that education is imperative for the development of any country, and because of the strategic role a solid education sector plays in the overall development of the economy of any nation cannot be over emphasized, many countries have clamored for proper education for their wards.

Because of this same reason, parents tend to give their children and ward the best education from the primary to the tertiary level. Schools, on their part, realize that they have a major role to play in the educational up-bringing of a child, and as such, try to live up to expectation, especially in the face of competition to produce the best students.

As part of its offerings to give their graduating students the best education and a platform for smooth transition into the Universities abroad, Olashore International School established Lancaster University Foundation Programme in 2007 after signing a partnership with the Lancaster University in the UK to provide seamless transition of its students from WASSCE to UK Universities.

The purpose of the Foundation programme is to provide students with necessary skills needed to go on to study for an undergraduate Bachelor Degree at Lancaster or any UK Universities. Students entering this programme would spend 1 year in Olashore International School, Nigeria and three (3) years at Lancaster University or any UK University. The Lancaster University Foundation Programme (LUFP) welcomed its first students in October 2007 and has had over 100 students join universities across the UK and beyond.

As if that was not enough, in December 2015, Olashore International School (OIS) signed an MoU with the Institute of Education in Ireland  to offer foundation courses that will serve as  a platform for Olashore Students who wish to study Medicine to easily transit into Medical Universities in Ireland and UK.
With this however, one cannot but confess that OIS has an underlying commitment to academic excellence alongside the development of each student to their full potentials.

According to The coordinator of the Lancaster Foundation, Mr Rafiu Hakeem,  in order to attain the academic peak which the school clamor for, Olashore International School (OIS) offers the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), an academically rigorous, internationally used and specialized English language Curriculum, which is offered to students to prepare them for international Baccalaureate (a group of three internationally recognized educational programs for students), A Level and Business Technology Education Council (BTEC) Level 3.

“Students of this school are made to choose between five universities of their choice in the UK after which they will attend anyone of their choice, but before they can move abroad to study, the students cannot just travel to school abroad like that, they need to go through a foundation programme. Since Olashore International School is affiliated to Lancaster University, this programme is well known and approved. After the students has completed their WAEC, they are compelled to enroll for this programme for 10months, and when lectures go mid-way, the students are taken abroad for study trips, trial lectures, volunteering programs, extra lectures, and community service.

" This programme is cheap compared to other foundation programs. Lancaster University staff visit Nigeria in November and June for an intensive study skills during the one year programme at Olashore. In addition students attend a two week study start in October before the start of undergraduate degree. Students travel to UK in March for taster lectures, acclimatization, interviews, Community service and volunteering programme which further develop their transition to independence. There are three choices of pathways for every student. These are Business & Management; Science & Computing and Literary & Social Studies. Every student is required to offer core modules and also choose any three subjects from the pathway subjects depending on their career intentions, ” he added.

The school principal, Mr Derek Smith, reiterated on the essence of the Lancaster University Foundation Programme (LUFP), his words: “The idea of the Lancaster Foundation came up after working in affiliation with Lancaster for few years, under the leadership of the former principal. The essence is to allow for easy and smooth transition from here in Lancaster University or any University in the UK through the help of this foundation programme. Lancaster University has existed for more than 50 years now, and has progressed to being one of the top 10 universities in the UK consistently. Based on the award we got in year 2015 that has positioned Olashore as one of the ten top schools here in Nigeria, we want to affiliate ourselves with top schools. Transiting from secondary school to universities in big cities may prove difficult but Lancaster has made it smooth and effective, so that it is not new to them. Students are under normal circumstances, expected to go through the UK central admission system of universities in the UK and make selections. But one great thing about Lancaster is that it is one of the top schools in the UK and so if you have the foundation guarantee, gaining admission to other universities will be smooth and easy.

“Not only do we develop student’s academic and language proficiency but we also provide student with opportunities to expand and enhance their study skills, attributes and personal development which enable our students to get most from future university experience. Our method teaching is similar to the UK universities and includes lectures, seminars, projects, tutorials and personal tutor system. This methods allows students to experience small teaching groups, providing a level of contact with teaching staff and fulfill a level of independent study within their career pathway modules. This academic session, we plan to direct more attention to independent based research and academic writing through projects which include British Culture, Lancaster project, data analysis and case study. Study skills sessions will be used this session to enhance students’ knowledge on referencing, plagiarism avoidance and academic integrity”, he x-rayed.

Olashore International School, having engaged the Lancaster Foundation Programme successfully for over eight years (8) now, thought it wise to embark on another Foundation programme, this time with Ireland in order to satisfy the Medical pathway which the Lancaster Foundation didn’t provide for. The Lancaster Foundation had earlier provided for Business & Management; Science & Computing and Literary & Social Studies, and more medical oriented students and their parents clamoured for their pathways too. It was indeed an embracement when it finally came into lime light.

Elucidating on this, the Chairman, Board of Governors, Olashore International School, Mr Abimbola Olashore, pointed out that the partnership between the school and the Institute of Ireland, became necessary as part of the school’s product offerings so as to give the students more options of schools to study in the UK and Ireland. His words: “Well the essence of the MoU signing is to give students various options. We realized that quite a number of students want to study medicine and we know that medicine is one of the difficult professions to get into. So the MoU we are signing with the Irish is to give pathway to study medicine in Ireland and also into UK. It’s a foundation programme".

"Upon graduation from the secondary school, Olashore students who wish to study medicine will embark on a year foundation programme with us, and then move on for the foundation programme at Ireland which gives them the leverage to gain easy admission into any of the leading Medical Universities in Ireland. Though we already had Lancaster University Foundation Programme in the school, this Ireland University Foundation Programme is unique in that it offers Medical courses which the former doesn’t have in the offing. We chose Ireland rather than any other country because some of the leading Medical Colleges are situated therein, the programme is accredited, it’s a platform for smooth transition into the University in Ireland, and finally because it has a strong tie with the UK especially with the fact that they both have English speaking background. All is set to ensure that students get the best”.

What more can a parent ask for in a school in order to give his or her child the very best in life especially as regards education, which has the capability of building the child’s confidence.
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