Best Intellectuals Model School

How a viral music video boosted morale at a time of turmoil

Best Intellectuals Model School, a school in Ohanku, Aba Abia State, Nigeria made a music video to boost student morale during a period of turmoil that rocked Nigerian society and it went viral in the process.

In 2021, the school faced many crises. Not only did it have to contend with the COVID pandemic, but a wave of school drop-outs owing to the financial strain brought by the pandemic on so many families. With the country also experiencing a high unemployment rate and a marked increase in crime, the conditions Best Intellectuals Model School faced forced it to reevaluate how it would continue to open its doors and keep up the morale of demoralised students and the wider community. It decided to use the healing power of music.

The people in the local community were known to love music and were even more receptive when children were involved. The school hoped that a music video using its younger students would reach the hearts and minds of the people within the community and address some of society’s ills. But it faced numerous challenges along the way.

First the students’ safety was a priority. The school staff provided children with face masks and made sure they observed social distancing. They didn’t have a school bus to get to the nearest studio, so they had to traverse the dirt roads, eventually getting to the studio with soiled clothes. They would have to clean off before recording and shooting the footage for the video. They didn’t have instruments, so they used music from online. In the end, the hard work paid off and the video was considered a viral hit amongst the community.

If Best Intellectuals Model School were to the win the World’s Best School Prize for Overcoming Adversity, it would use the money to strengthen its educational model and build a new school complex with labs for ICT and science classes.