What does 21st-century, project-based education look like in Nigeria? Meet KEY academy
Updated: 1 day ago
What if school prepared children for more than examinations? What if they also learnt to ask better questions, solve real problems, work with others, and apply what they know to the world around them? That question is at the heart of everything we do at KEY (Keep Educating Yourself) academy - a Nigerian social enterprise working to make 21st-century, project-based education accessible to more children across Nigeria.
KEY academy was founded in 2018 and we opened our model school in Lagos in September 2019. Today, our work extends beyond the classroom through initiatives focused on student development, teacher training, educational resources, and wider education reform.
Why we started
KEY academy began with a challenge our Founder, Damilola Okonkwo, experienced as a parent. While looking for a school in Lagos for her children, she struggled to find one that combined strong academic foundations with opportunities to develop curiosity, creativity, and a genuine love of learning. She wanted an education that would help children do well academically while also preparing them to think independently, collaborate, and respond to the challenges of an increasingly complex world.
Her search led her to explore different approaches to education around the world, as well as Nigeria's own history of practical, experience-based learning, including traditional apprenticeship systems. She went on to establish KEY academy, turning those ideas into a practical model that could be developed, tested and explored within a Nigerian context.
What makes project-based learning different?
At KEY academy, project-based learning is not an occasional activity added to an otherwise conventional school programme. It is central to how our students learn. Rather than memorising information and reproducing it in examinations, our students explore meaningful questions, investigate real-world topics, and work on projects that allow them to apply what they learn.
For example, a project exploring Nigeria's natural resources might involve investigating how resources are extracted, understanding their uses, and creating models that demonstrate how they work. Through experiences like these, students develop core academic skills such as literacy, science and numeracy alongside higher-order, 21st-century skills like including critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity, and problem-solving.
Project-based education does not mean putting academics aside. Our learning programme draws on the Early Years Foundation Stage framework for younger children and the National Curriculum for England for students aged five and above, adapting learning objectives to Nigerian culture, experiences, and context.
Our students are grouped into learning groups. These groups are organised around developmental stages, allowing us to create learning experiences that reflect children’s growing abilities and needs. In the early years, students engage in play-based learning, which gradually develops into more structured project-based work as they grow.
We also call our teachers co-learners, reflecting their role in guiding and supporting students while learning alongside them. Across every stage, our aim is to help students understand not just what they are learning, but how they can use that knowledge.
More than a school: expanding access to 21st-century education
Our vision has always extended beyond our model school. Nigeria needs more opportunities for children to experience relevant, future-focused education, and expanding access cannot depend on building more schools alone. We are therefore developing an ecosystem of initiatives designed to support students, educators, and existing schools.
These include ImpactEducators, a digital teacher-training and accreditation platform designed to equip educators across Nigeria with practical training, resources, and approaches to 21st-century, project-based learning. Another initiative is ChessMasters, launched in May 2025 with Eko Hotels & Suites, an annual school chess tournament that brings students together through competition while developing strategic thinking, focus, and problem-solving. Alongside these, we develop locally relevant books, digital content, and learning materials to support children, parents, and educators, and we host events and contribute to policy conversations about the future of education in Nigeria.
Together, these initiatives create pathways to take the ideas we are exploring at our model school into more classrooms, schools, and communities.
Proudly Nigerian, globally connected
Rethinking education means remaining open to new ideas and learning from people working towards similar goals. Through relationships with organisations such as African Leadership Academy and participation in international education communities, we continue to exchange ideas with educators and leaders across Nigeria and beyond. These connections create opportunities to challenge our own assumptions, learn from different approaches, and consider how useful insights can be adapted to our context.
Our ambition is not to replicate another country's education system - it is to develop an approach that is globally informed and locally rooted in our Nigerian context.
What comes next
Our long-term roadmap is focused on reaching more communities across Nigeria, supporting existing schools, and working with stakeholders, including teachers and policymakers, to influence how education is developed, assessed, and delivered.
The bigger question for us has never been simply what one school can achieve. It is how the lessons, resources, and practices we develop can contribute to wider change.
At our core, KEY academy is about helping children build the knowledge, confidence, and skills to participate meaningfully in a rapidly changing world, while creating more opportunities for other educators and schools to do the same.
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