School administrators have been encouraged to leverage technology and other smart innovations as a means of maintaining educational standards in the face of headwinds around the economy.
The call was made by leading financial institution, Fidelity Bank Plc, at its recently held webinar targeted at businesses operating in the education sector, themed, “Maintaining Educational Standards Amidst Current Economic Realities”.
“Education, as you may know, is one of the most powerful tools for development, and forms the foundation of any nation’s future. With the recent headwinds in the socio-economic landscape, many educational institutions are finding it difficult to provide the high-quality education necessary for national development.
“As a bank committed to helping individuals to grow, businesses to thrive and economies to prosper; we see improving educational standards as key to the prosperous future we envision. That is why we have put together this webinar”, explained Dr. Ken Opara, Executive Director, Lagos and SouthWest Business, Fidelity Bank Plc, who was represented by the Divisional Head, Partnerships and Ecosystems, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Osaigbovo Omorogbe, in his welcome remarks at the event.
The well-attended session, featured presentations from erudite practitioners in the nation’s education sector namely, Mr Popoola Adeyemi, Executive Director and Founder, C’field International Group of Schools, who spoke on “The Impact of Current Socio-Economic Challenges on Maintaining High Education Standard in Nigeria”; and Mrs. Ganiru Okaekwu, Consultant, Helms-Bridge Educational Limited, who shared her thoughts on “Practical Tools and Techniques for Maintaining Educational Standards in Nigeria amidst the Current Economic Realities”; and Mr. Busayo Akintunde; Chairman, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, (NAPPS) Kaduna Chapter, who discussed “The Role of Technology in Maintaining and Improving Education Quality”.
Highlighting the bank’s solutions for supporting business growth in the sector, Dr. Opara said, “At Fidelity Bank, we continually seek innovative ways to support stakeholders in the education sector through various financial and non-financial initiatives.
“For example, the Fidelity Edu Loan allows administrators of registered private primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions in Nigeria to access loans up to N180 million at favorable rates for working capital needs such as minor renovations, purchasing school supplies, and salary payments. Similarly, parents can instantly obtain loans up to N5 million for paying their children’s school fees by dialing *770*08# from their mobile phones.”
“We also offer the Fidelity School Management Solution, which provides real-time academic performance updates and remote learning services for students, teachers, and parents. Additionally, the Bank Account Monitoring System (BAMS) helps schools monitor their account transactions in real time.”
It would be recalled that the bank held its inaugural education-business-focused webinar on the 2024 Children’s Day on 27 May, where it brought together a panel of carefully selected professionals in the education space to discuss means of strengthening child education through deeper parent-teacher partnership.
Ranked as one of the best banks in Nigeria, Fidelity Bank is a full-fledged commercial bank with over 8.3 million customers serviced across its 251 business offices in Nigeria and the United Kingdom as well as on digital banking channels.
The bank has won multiple local and international awards including the Export Finance Bank of the Year at the 2023 BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards, the Best Payment Solution Provider Nigeria 2023 and Best SME Bank Nigeria 2022 by the Global Banking and Finance Awards; Best Bank for SMEs in Nigeria by the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2023; and Best Domestic Private Bank in Nigeria by the Euromoney Global Private Banking Awards 2023.