Ashoka recognised Eunice Omojola as one of its 2024 Young Changemakers. The 20-year-old is proving that age is no barrier to making a difference. Through her initiative, TechInEdu, she aims to empower students with technological skills that can open doors to new opportunities.
Omojolas’ inspiration for TechInEdu comes from her personal experiences with technology – or rather, her lack of it. Growing up, she attended public schools with minimal computer access. While students in more privileged schools took computer classes and learned digital skills, Omojola and her peers were left out. She realised this digital gap placed many young Nigerians at a disadvantage as tech skills are now more critical than ever. That sparked a desire to help others like her gain access to the knowledge she had once lacked.
TechinEdu
Founded in 2023, TechinEdu’s mission is to teach essential computer skills to students in underserved Nigerian schools. Omojola and her team bring computer and technological training to schools that don’t have the resources to provide their own. The curriculum covers fundamental computer and tech skills, which students in these communities rarely can learn. Although it seems like a drop of water in an ocean, this approach gives secondary school students a glimpse into the toolkits they can use for future jobs, academics, and self-learning.
Impact on the Community
Omojola’s work is already making an impact. Statistics from Get Bundi report that 100 million young Nigerians have no digital skills and are unprepared to take up good job opportunities requiring such modern skills. Her initiative reduces this statistic by equipping students with practical knowledge that increases their employability.
“At TechinEdu, we believe and are all about digital empowerment. Digital education is a powerful tool for bridging the gender gap and unlocking girls’ potential,” Eunice Omojola shared in a LinkedIn post.
Stories from her fieldwork tell of students who became more confident and interested in tech-related careers after learning basic computer operations. By reaching these students early on while they are still in secondary school, the UNILAG 300-level radiology student is planting the seeds for a more skilled, tech-savvy generation.
“I’ve made up my mind to be part of the 1% that would cause a global reform in the Public Educational sector, starting with areas within my reach.” She affirmed.
This fight, however, hasn’t been easy for her. Bringing tech knowledge to schools in rural areas lacking basic infrastructures like computer rooms and reliable electricity has been challenging. That will not deter her, though, as she is always looking for individuals and organisations who believe in her vision to partner with.
“I have been able to explain the vision of TechinEdu to six young people who now work with me. I also partner and collaborate with organisations,” she says.
Eunice Omojola looks forward to a Nigeria where every student can access technology regardless of background. After graduation, she hopes to expand TechInEdu to hundreds more schools across Nigeria, especially in rural areas so that she can give students the skills needed for a tech-focused future.
