KEY academy

The Nigerian social enterprise reshaping the education system with Africa’s first project-based learning school 

KEY (Keep Educating Yourself) academy, an independent primary and secondary school in Lagos, Nigeria, is revolutionising education through its project-based learning (PBL) model, equipping students with the critical thinking, creativity, and 21st-century problem-solving skills they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children globally. Those in school often lack engaging, relevant learning experiences that equip them to achieve in everyday life. Driven by the belief that simply getting children into classrooms won’t solve the problem, but rather the fundamental way they learn must change, the school has refined a structured PBL framework, adapted to suit Nigeria’s culture and context.

To make education accessible and transformative, a balance between creative exploration and academic rigour drives the approach. Teachers acting as facilitators guide students through inquiry-driven projects rather than delivering one-way instruction, and learners take part in projects and collaborate with professionals across varied fields to solve real-world challenges. Student-led projects include a waste pollution initiative where students worked with a riverside community struggling with water pollution, initiatives to develop solutions that address waste and maximise energy use, exploration of renewable energy solutions, and raising money to support the community through an annual charity project, through which students develop empathy and practical problem-solving skills and contextualised learning.

Parents are part of the process to support learners through workshops, open classrooms, and student showcases where they see the model’s impact firsthand. This builds a culture of shared responsibility and co-learning. Teachers receive ongoing training and have adopted innovative assessment models, replacing memorisation-based tests with competency-based evaluations. The long-term vision is to scale the model through a digital platform to include nationwide teacher training, assessment, and accreditation that can support educators across the country, regardless of the socio-economic status of their school or parent community.

Through their model, 95% of students demonstrate higher-order thinking skills like critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving, and 85% show increased confidence in public speaking, collaboration, and leadership. All students engage in real-world problem-solving, and 100% of parents have seen noticeable improvements in their children’s curiosity and independence. As a recognised thought leader in progressive education, the school actively engages with academia and international networks to share best practices and drive systemic change with over 1,000 educators beta testing its digital platform, which codifies the learning approach and materials.

KEY academy is proving that world-class, 21st-century, project-based learning is possible in Nigeria and reshaping the entire education system.