An educational initiative born out of a Nigerian teacher’s concern for disengaged students has earned international recognition, with Twim Institute’s Summer School programme shortlisted for the 2026 UNESCO-UNEVOC Global Awards for Innovation in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
The programme, which began in 2014 with about 20 students, has now benefited more than 800 young people, offering public secondary school students practical and creative learning opportunities during long holidays.
Its founder, Olumide Adeleye, developed the initiative after witnessing some students lose interest in formal education while teaching in a public school in an underserved community. He believed that engaging learners through practical activities could help them rediscover their abilities and reconnect with education.
Operated by Twim Institute in Oyo State, the five-to-eight-week programme exposes students to media production, technology, fashion and culinary arts, alongside mathematics, vocabulary exercises, quizzes, group projects and organised excursions.
Adeleye said the initiative was built on the belief that practical learning could restore students’ confidence and encourage them to pursue academic success.
“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,” he said.
The institute’s Chief Operating Officer, Moremi Adeleye, explained that the programme provides opportunities for students to demonstrate abilities that conventional examinations may not capture.
She noted that a student who struggles with written assessments may excel in video production, news reporting or practical projects such as sewing and cooking.
“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.
The Nigerian initiative was named a finalist in the Resourceful Innovation category, alongside an interactive exhibition for innovation and learning in technical education from Brazil, and FanikishaHUB, operated by Artcom Enterprise in Kenya.
UNESCO-UNEVOC, UNESCO’s International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, launched the awards in November 2025. Twelve finalists were selected across four categories, with winners scheduled to be announced in Berlin, Germany, from December 1 to 3, 2026.
The recognition places a Nigerian-developed educational solution on an international platform, demonstrating how practical learning can help young people build skills, regain confidence and discover new possibilities beyond the conventional classroom.
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