Dr Dayo Olukoshi is a remarkable Nigerian administrator putting his excellent leadership skills to use at a secondary school in the United Kingdom. 

Olukoshi made the news in 2018 after leading Brampton Manor Academy, a state school situated in East Ham, east London, to produce the best A-level results. 

It is 2022 and Brampton Manor has achieved another outstanding academic feat with Olukoshi at the helm of affairs: 89 members of the Brampton Manor 2022 class have gained admission into either Oxford University or Cambridge University. It is the highest any school in the UK has. 

Nearly 90 percent of year 13s at Brampton Manor – 430 students – achieved straight A/A* grades. Brampton Manor’s achievements are no fluke. In 2021, Oxford and Cambridge offered 55 students at the academy admission. Fifty-one received the same offer in 2020. 

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“We are a dynamic and successful school [with] students of all abilities and from a wide variety of backgrounds, all of whom contribute to the richness and diversity of our school population,” Olukosi wrote on Brampton Manor’s website. 

“We are a very successful school because we focus very strongly on what really matters—the quality of teaching and learning.”

Olukoshi said it all in a 2018 interview with The Interview NG.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Olukoshi attended the Federal Government College, Sokoto, for his secondary school education.

“I was quite fortunate to receive good quality education during my secondary school education in Nigeria at Federal Government College, Sokoto, under the excellent leadership of the principal, Mr. Harwood and the subsequent principals, Mr. Adigwe and Mr. Ajepe,” Olukoshi said.

“The teachers were first rate: very well qualified in their subjects and they had a strong passion for teaching and our wellbeing. We also had excellent teaching and non-teaching resources to ensure that we developed into well-rounded individuals. We need to go back to that era in Nigeria.”

JOINING BRAMPTON MANOR

Olukoshi worked with a number of UK schools before joining Brampton Manor Academy in 2008. He said that he had served as a teacher, senior leader and principal during his time in various schools.

“I joined Brampton Manor as the headteacher in 2008, having previously worked as a teacher and senior leader in various UK schools since 1992,” he said.

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Olukoshi admitted to facing challenges, including racism, but said that having a clear mission and purpose helped him. He described racists as “a tiny minority of petty-minded individuals”.

“At Brampton Manor, a significant portion of our students are from Nigeria and other African/Caribbean countries, so in a way, I feel like I am at home already.”

AN EDUCATOR WITH AN OBE AWARD

Queen Elizabeth II bestowed a Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) award on Olukoshi in 2015.

The OBE is a British order of chivalry that rewards contributions to the arts and sciences and works with charitable and welfare organisations.

“I was awarded an OBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), which is a higher honour than the MBE by Prince Charles on behalf of the Queen on my birthday! The OBE was for services to education,” Olukoshi said.

“Although the honour was given to me, it really is for all the staff that have worked tirelessly over the years to help make a difference to the lives of our young people.”

UNWAVERING BELIEF IN NIGERIA

Boris Johnson hailed Brampton Manor for academic excellence in 2021 and Olukoshi is proud of the result. He has not lost touch with Nigeria and its current realities either.

Olukoshi described Nigeria as home and said that no other place would be like Nigeria to Nigerians. According to Olukoshi, only Nigerians can make their country great.

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“Nigerians are talented, hardworking and intelligent people and we are currently operating significantly below our capacity and potential. Education must be prioritized, otherwise, we risk condemning generations of our young people to a life of underachievement and failure,” Olukoshi said.

“We need committed leadership and a re-orientation of the populace. Nigeria is our country and home and we have no other.

“No one can make Nigeria better other than Nigerians! In order to change course, we first need to recognize the status quo isn’t acceptable and this isn’t just a matter for the government.”