Jennifer Chinenye Emelife, a Nigerian educator and literacy advocate with extensive teaching experience in Nigeria and the UK, has secured a prestigious Academic Enrichment grant from the McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation.
Currently pursuing her Ph.D. at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), Emelife focuses on critical literacy education for youth affected by conflict and displacement. Her groundbreaking initiative, Literacy Amidst Violent Conflict in Northern Nigeria, aims to empower children whose education has been disrupted by insurgency and violence.
For Emelife, the project is deeply personal. Growing up near Kaduna, a region plagued by insurgency, she experienced firsthand the impact of violence on education. “I’ve had experiences where we’re learning in school one minute and then the next running because of the threat of an impending attack,” she recalls. “We were so close to where the violence was happening, and there was always that fear as a Christian and as an Igbo person.”
Her initiative addresses the educational challenges faced by children orphaned or displaced by banditry, tribal violence, and insurgent groups like Boko Haram. “Some of their parents have been injured or work as security guards,” Emelife explains. “This is an opportunity for the kids to experience a critical form of education that is both empowering and transformative.”
With the support of the grant, Emelife will collaborate with local educators in Northern Nigeria to train teachers and introduce new learning opportunities. Her goal is to help students reflect on their experiences and challenge injustices within their communities. “I want them to ask themselves, ‘What is happening around us? How do we understand the learning situation? If given the chance, what can we do to bring about change?’” she says.
Emelife’s work has earned praise from her academic mentors. Professor Rob Simon, who has collaborated with her since 2021 as part of his Addressing Injustices project, believes her initiative will have a transformative impact on education in Nigeria.
“Jennifer believes deeply in her students’ creativity and critical perspectives and positions herself to learn from their life experiences and struggles. At a moment of profound instability, lives are at stake. Millions of displaced children in Nigeria and elsewhere will benefit from Jennifer’s teaching and research,” Simon notes.
Her doctoral supervisor, Professor Kathy Bickmore, also commended her dedication and scholarly approach, adding:
“She addresses these young people respectfully as valued knowledge holders. This tremendously important work holds promise to enhance young people’s opportunities and capabilities to participate in positive social change, while also enhancing their individual human security.”
In addition to her academic pursuits, Emelife is the founder of Teach for Change Nigeria, an initiative aimed at transforming literacy education in Nigerian schools. This latest grant further underscores her commitment to creating educational pathways for vulnerable youth and fostering a generation of critical thinkers capable of driving social change.
Read more about the grant here.
Congratulations to Jennifer Chinenye Emelife on this well-deserved recognition!
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
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