Education Hackathon 2022: Nigeria

Building 21, an experimental laboratory at McGill University, invites you to participate in a free weekend-long virtual educational hackathon (EduHack), an event to support transformational educational ideas. The purpose of this program is to interact with people passionate about revamping education to fit everyone despite status, class or gender. In the event, we will LEARN, INSPIRE AND CONNECT.

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Focus : Nigeria

Dates: November 4th-6th, 2022

Where: Online on Discord and at B21, Montreal.

Application deadline:  September 23rd

Who can apply: Nigerian educators

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Our Why

We are a group of like-minded individuals who believe in making the simplest degree of impact with the intention that our actions can change the world. We envision education in a limitless and all-encompassing transformational setting that will equip learners to be the ideal changemakers needed in the century. 

By coming together to explore, iterate and create innovative educational and pedagogical solutions, we envision transformations that will maximize the potentials of students.

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Why an Educational Hackathon?

Schools are meant to be directors of learning and the path to attaining self-discovery and transformative learning. Education should lead to creativity, curiosity, and overall personal development. Certain school practices undermine students’ curiosity, and free and boundless thinking, thereby obstructing the potentials of students.

Can innovative education and unconventional pedagogies reconstruct education in the 21st century? The intent of this hackathon is to create an unusual gathering for brainstorming and dialogue to reimagine the future of progressive education.

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What we hope to achieve

This hackathon will give room for unattempted, outside-the-box, and oftentimes ignored ideas to blossom.

We recognize that innovation could be doing old things in a different way and we are not swayed by a desire to discard the old but by a desire to make things better. 

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Our Mission

We’re looking beyond Nigeria to fundamentally help students contribute to global development. We want to understand the terrain by looking deeply into the complexity of problems.

We want to engage with teachers, who are the key to changing a system. We would like to help teachers help students grow; inspire teachers who are willing to change the teacher-centric curriculum; translate words into actions; and extend into rural communities.

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Our Code of Conduct

The goal of the EduHack event is to create an inclusive, safe and welcoming space for educators to participate, collaborate, enquire and engage in conversations for change. We are committed to providing a harassment-free environment for everyone, irrespective of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity or religion. We encourage the participants and guests to help us create a positive experience. Hence, we require all participants, speakers, mentors, and volunteers at the EDUHACK event to adhere to this virtual meeting policy.

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Our Participants

Co-creators

Amarachi Onuorah

Amarachi Jennifer Onuorah is a 2021 MasterCard Scholar, currently studying Educational Leadership at McGill University, a 2019 Fellow at Young Innovative Leaders, and a quality education advocate. She is a first-class graduate of Linguistics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and has co-authored a linguistic article on Semelfactivity.

Subsequent to her undergraduate studies, Amarachi has worked as an educator in diverse contexts –- an English Language Teacher, a Graduate Teaching Assistant, and a volunteer teacher. In these roles, she developed innovative practices, like peer review, digital literacy, and youth mentorship that improved class performance and overall academic success.

Amarachi is a compassionate person, and this personality could account for the volunteering and leadership positions she has taken. Importantly, Amarachi is a practical person, always flexible and adaptable to any new environment. Growing up in a multicultural environment, she has lived and worked in different tribes as an educator and administrator. These experiences have made her culturally sensitive, empathetic, and receptive to others.

Amarachi is a lifelong learner with a keen interest in education and global development, social justice, leadership and policy, equity, diversity, inclusion, and immigration. She is passionate about creating and co-creating educational programs that are inclusive and equitable.

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Ferdinand Ochor

Ferdinand Ochor is a MasterCard Foundation Scholar at McGill University in the Master of Arts, Educational Leadership program. He has worked as a Teacher in  Nigeria, and as a Project Manager for a WASH (Water Sanitation and Hygiene) project in Nigeria through the partnership  of Asia Youth International Model United Nations (AYIMUN) in 2019. Most  recently, Ferdinand worked as Program Lead at Credoville, an organization focused on Education Technology and business solutions.

He has been at the shores of human capacity development through his  engagement with corporate social enterprises and as an advocate of  change. He studied Economics for his Bachelor's degree in Nigeria and Development Economics at Sciences Po University, in France.

Essentially motivated by the desire to be a transformative leader,  Ferdinand brings passion and enthusiasm to teams, projects and  initiatives. Being a co-creator at Eduhack, he aspires to empower teachers in Nigeria to transition from rote learning to transformative education pedagogies in schools while recognizing the power of education to change the world.

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Jane Moran

Jane Moran is Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Benevity, Inc., a leading provider of global corporate purpose software.

Jane completed her Ph.D. in astrophysics with the initial intention of becoming a physics professor. However, her skills in decoding complicated data, along with her ability to lead with empathy and authority, landed her in data science where her work has spanned the full range of understanding customer behavior and applying that understanding to data-driven solutions in targeted marketing and optimized digital experiences. Prior to joining Benevity, Jane was Senior Vice President, Data and Technology at AIR MILES/Loyalty One where she was responsible for leading a team of technologists who specialized in front-end mobile and web development, back-end systems and platform development, API development, architecture, UX research and design, DevOps, security, production systems, IT support, project management, and data science and analytics.

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Nomalungelo Maphanga

Noma’s Chemical Engineering background has enabled her to wear a number of hats. She is currently a Project Manager and Data Science Mentor. Of the numerous hats she has worn, teaching is her all-time favourite. Working as a high school teacher has deepened her passion for education and capacity and skills development. The teaching and learning process requires flexible out-of-the-box thinking and creative use of available resources. Noma strives to empower people, no matter the level, through knowledge sharing and skills transfer to bring them closer to being the best they can be..

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Participants

Teddy Ogbonna

Education has always been a factor in my life. It's on this ground I joined Eduhack, so as to acquire more knowledge on how to move education to its rightful place, especially in Nigeria where the educational system is below expectations. I'm motivated to be part of Eduhack because I believe it will create an enabling environment for me to learn more so as to impact the citizens of my country, especially the younger ones.

As a classroom teacher in Nigeria, a lot is lacking in the quest to inculcate knowledge to the citizenry, ranging from lack of training and poor remuneration to lackluster attitudes of students towards learning. Therefore I firmly believe that this training will help me a lot in my desire for greater understanding of what education really is and its importance to national development.

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Grant Chiedoziem Nwachi

Grant Chiedoziem Nwachi has a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.

He currently works with Marjorie Bash College of Health Sciences & Technology, Aba as a Lecturer. And also the coordinator of the Abia Teacher of the Month Project, a community development service of the Marjorie Bash Foundation. Grant volunteers at Ogwe Comprehensive Secondary School for the N-power-teach program of the Federal Government of Nigeria aimed at increasing access to STEM education in underserved communities. He is the founder and facilitator of the Akee Core Skills Project, an initiative helping children in rural communities become very skilled in reading, spelling correctly, and mastering basic math facts every August since 2019 through basic skills seminars.

Having passed through Nigeria's education system where learners are faced with hardship in accessing resources and services, I am committed to improving the experience using available technology. I am convinced that employing innovative approaches to learning can transform Nigeria's education system, which at the moment is limited in many ways. From infrastructure to management systems and resources. I am enthusiastic about the opportunity Eduhack is offering me and other educators in Nigeria to share ideas on how to improve learning in Nigeria.

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Racheal Lawrence

Racheal Lawrence had her first degree in Archaeology from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and her Master's in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action from Sciences Po, Paris.

She is a child rights advocate with over five years of experience in the development space. Through her organization called Arewa Child Empowerment Initiative, she raises awareness on children's rights in underserved communities of Northern Nigeria and engages communities on the importance of quality education for children, especially girls.

Her interest in EduHack lies in her passion for education and commitment to working together with young transformational leaders to transform the education system in Nigeria. It is her dream to contribute to increasing access to quality education for all children in Nigeria.

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Wisdom Chidiebere‍

Wisdom Chidiebere is a Design Engineer at Mikano International Steel Fabrication Division in Nigeria. He designs manufacturable 3D models of steel products for offices, household use, and power generation. He does both CAD and CAM. He enjoys his role as it is an avenue to create objects in a seemingly virtual world and watch them come alive with usefulness in the real world.

He graduated in 2021 from the University of Nigeria Nsukka with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering (First Class Honors). This was a remarkable success for him as he spent a significant period of his secondary and tertiary education in public institutions, faced with adverse study conditions including the frequent staff strike actions, while he also enjoyed the benefit of meeting coursemates from different backgrounds and reasoning perspectives.

He was certified by Family Health International, USA after successful participation in the Pan African Youth Leadership Program in 2014, and since then he has taken on several leadership roles. These include serving as the Academic Coordinator of his campus fellowship (CASOR UNN) where he organised evening classes, academic seminars, and excellence award programmes to encourage excellence of students. Wisdom also served as the Librarian of his department where he created systems to help students access relevant course materials for project research and for examination preparation.

As an undergraduate, he took on tutoring jobs through which he experienced the challenges teachers face. Therefore he has sought to explore methods to aid teacher-student communication. He believes joining Eduhack will be a big opportunity to network and learn from great minds.
Aside from his role as a design engineer, Wisdom is currently learning game design for educational purposes and his long term goal is to set up a hub specifically for the creation of advanced lecturing aids.

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Stephen Praise Agboola‍

Stephen Praise Agboola is a keen student of human nature. He is co-leading Sustainable Goals Achievers (SGA), a not-for-profit organization that empowers young people and adults in the community through outreach programs and community services. Over the past year, SGA has reached out to 500 students and young people in the community. He is passionate about SDGs 3, 4, & 8 (Good health and well-being, Quality Education & Decent work, and economic growth). In his words, "getting access to education is a privilege, and with such privilege comes the responsibility to create opportunities for others."

Stephen is a student at the University of Ilorin, studying Educational Technology. He is passionate about Technology in the range of cloud technologies, web development, and motion design. Stephen is pursuing a career in software development and motion and interaction design. Stephen is a Microsoft learn ambassador who helps students in his community to upskill in their technology area of interest and to prepare for job opportunity while growing community spirit.

I will be joining EduHack because it's a ubiquitous opportunity to contribute to revamping the state of Nigeria's education system through collaborative efforts with individuals who shared a similar passion for Education. Also, I'm keen to be meeting and networking with new people and learning from them, for which I believe EduHack will provide such an avenue. Gently, we can shake the world of Nigeria's Educational system; Eduhack could be the medium to actualize this. Thank you.

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Nature-Iboro Edet

Nature-Iboro Edet is a pro-bono Teacher who runs a free school for rural and marginalized children in her local community, with over four years of experience in the civic sector.

Through her Humanity's Voice Foundation, she trains young people to speak against injustice(s) in their communities and take actions to proffer sustainable solutions to issues affecting them as a people.

Access to Education for me as a child was a miracle; coming from an economically disadvantaged background, it was nearly impossible to find and express my voice because of this inequality, but a GOOD TEACHER in my Primary School stood in the gap for me, and today, I do not find it strange that I am toeing this path of making education affordable, accessible, and inclusive for every child.

I am joining EduHack, first, because I do not claim a monopoly of knowledge and ideas. Revamping our educational system in Nigeria is a joint task and requires all hands on deck. I feel like this will be a great opportunity for idea-sharing and sharpening. Second, I am signing up for this to access networking and possible funding for collaborative ideas that will move our educational sector from where it is to where it ought to be.

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Awogbami Femi Johnson

Education: Bachelor of Science, Microbiology: Second Class Upper Division, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Work: Teacher Service, Administrative and Executive Assistant roles, Public Health Enthusiast & Microbiologist.

Interests: Health, All-round Growth, Leadership & Academic excellence.

Motivation: Thank you for the opportunity. My inspiration is hinged on my Mantra that says: "Life is short & should be use for impact. Live an impactful life!" EDUCATION in the 21st century here in West-Africa, particularly Nigeria, has been white-washed. It has been relegated to the background. In truth, education is no longer seen/viewed as a powerful medium/tool that showcases the path to success in life. Most young ones have taken a detour to chase after success using other means. They have forsaken EXCELLENCE (which education can birth anytime, any day) and rather choose to chase shadows. With your aim/goal, I am convinced there will be a huge transformation to Nigeria education & I love to be a part. Thank you!

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Olumide Ayeni

A goal oriented and a dedicated teacher with great passion for Communication, I aspire to have an established educational sector that is creative and changes the narrative about school and teaching. I am a highly motivated and hardworking individual who loves the field of Interpersonal Skills, able to build positive relationships with students and staff members at all levels. I have a track record in increasing test scores and effectively managing both academic and emotional challenges while maintaining discipline towards teaching and behavior change within and outside the classroom environment. I am constantly learning and growing to stay and remain relevant in my field and open to opportunities.

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Grant Uchenna Nwagbara

I am a graduate of Linguistics and Nigerian Languages, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I presently work with BossMeek Int. Services as a Digital Growth Manager. However, on the side, I am a graphic designer and web interface designer (UI/UX).

Academics, teaching, graphic design, photography, politics, community service, and leadership are some of my interests. I've recently developed an interest in seeing how EdTech can be used in this part of the world to address the educational inequalities in Nigeria.

Given my recent interest in EdTech from a designer's perspective, I joined this cohort to connect with others and see if I could find those who share similar or exact ideas. In addition, I would like to work with others to explore how we can gradually move away from the traditional classroom setting and investigate the idea that teaching and learning can occur anywhere.

Although tremendous progress has been made since the COVID-19 outbreak, I believe Nigeria could move at a faster pace if we considered incorporating EdTech into national conversations about education, educational policies, curriculum, and planning. I am excited about the opportunities EdTech provides for students, educators, and curriculum developers in Africa and around the world.

Thank you for this wonderful opportunity. I'm excited about the discussion and the valuable ideas we'll come up with. I'm looking forward to having a good time with my teammates.

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EduHack FAQ

Who can apply?

This event is for Nigerian educators working at any level.

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How long will the event last?

Eduhack will take place over a weekend, starting on Friday November 4th and ending on Sunday November 7th. There will be about 4 hours of workshops and activities each day. In addition, there will be an onboarding session in the weeks prior to the event dates.

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Will a stipend be provided?

Yes! You may expect a stipend that covers internet and food costs, as well as a bit more to thank you for participating in our event.

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What kinds of projects are you looking for?

Anything related to education in Nigeria. It can be a project for your classroom, it can be an idea that tries to radically change education, or anything in between. We find the most important aspect of any project to be passion, so as long as you feel strongly about your idea, feel free to apply!

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Our Team

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Amarachi Onuorah: Educator. Graduate student in educational leadership at McGill. Thinker. (Project lead)

Ferdinand Ochor : Economist. Graduate student in educational leadership at McGill. Entrepreneur. Catalyst. (Project lead)

Anita Parmar : Physicist. Co-director of Building21. People believer. (Project coordinator)

Agnes Totschnig : Undergrad mathematician. Educational dreamer. (Project lead)

Viola Ruzzier : Communicator. Illustrator and writer. (Project support, B21 staff)

Darius Valevicius : Cognitive scientist.  Artist. Game dev. (Project support, B21 staff)

Jhave : Digital poet. Media artist. Contemplator. (Project support, B21 advisor)

Joshua Weinstein : Software engineer. Machine learning and activism researcher. (Project support, B21 scholar)

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