The project recorded 654 responses by December 2023.
The project
Helping students choose courses with better information.
The High School Project is a research-led initiative with a view to recapitalizing Nigeria's human capital by helping secondary school students make informed course and university choices. The work starts with a simple problem: too many decisions are made under pressure, rumor, and incomplete information.
What support unlocks
Funding, school access, research coordination, and public reach.
The phase-one map covered 30 universities across the country.
Immediate bottleneck
Funding for mobilizing, organizing, outreach, and research tools.
01 / THE PROBLEM
Students are asked to choose with too little information and too much pressure.
The project exists because choice happens early, consequences last long, and the guidance available to many students is still too thin.
Students are being asked to make high-stakes choices with too little usable information. The project responds by making the problem legible, then building a practical way to help.
Information gap
Many students are comparing course names, not course reality.
- They do not know what the course actually covers.
- They cannot easily compare universities offering the same course.
- They are often asked to decide before they have enough evidence.
Choice pressure
The choice is shaped by parents, teachers, prestige, university availability, social pressure, and what feels possible at the time.
- Students are pushed toward what sounds safe or prestigious.
- Financial and geographic limits narrow the options again.
- The result can be a mismatch between interest and outcome.
Why now
The public case exists, and Research & Development and Communications & Engagement are the teams carrying the relaunch forward.
- The work is public and needs to stay legible.
- Support now determines how far the research can go.
- The research relaunch needs funding, school access, and public participation.
02 / WHAT WE’RE BUILDING
A practical guidance system for course and university choice.
The first phase centers on research, course and university information, student testimony, and a system that makes the findings easy to use.
Course profiles
Each profile should answer the questions a student would ask before applying.
- What the course really covers.
- What students are expected to do.
- What the course can lead to in practice.
University comparisons
Students need side-by-side comparisons that help them choose without guessing.
- Which universities offer the course.
- How the versions differ across institutions.
- What the student should pay attention to first.
Student testimony
Current students and recent graduates can explain the course in plain language.
- What the course feels like in practice.
- What they wish they had known earlier.
- What a new student should expect.
Decision notes
Decision notes turn the project’s findings into practical guidance for applicants.
- Subjects and preparation that help.
- What to ask before choosing.
- How to think through tradeoffs.
03 / WHAT’S BEEN DONE
The project already has public work behind it.
The project already has research framing, survey work, and a published public case. The work is now being revisited and prepared for relaunch.
Responses, zones, and scope
The project reached 595 responses by July 2023 and recorded 654 responses by December 2023. Its initial scope mapped 30 universities across the six geopolitical zones.
Research relaunch and restructuring
Research & Development and Communications & Engagement are carrying the relaunch forward: revisiting the research agenda, preparing public communication, and building the support needed for the next phase.
Making Two Cases for The High School Project
The long-form case for the project was published on Medium on July 10, 2023 and remains the public background to the work.
Read Full Essay on Medium ↗04 / FAQS
Short answers to the questions people ask first.
A few direct answers about the project, its audience, and the work ahead.
What is The High School Project?
The High School Project is a research-led initiative with a view to recapitalizing Nigeria's human capital by helping secondary school students make informed course and university choices.
Who is it for?
Students, parents, teachers, schools, and supporters who need a clearer way to understand course choices and what they lead to.
What will the public resource look like?
A web-based set of course profiles, university comparisons, student testimony, and decision notes that people can browse and use without needing insider access.
What kind of help is needed now?
Funding, school access, research coordination, public reach, and practical introductions that keep the research and delivery work moving.
Contact
Contact the project.
General inquiries and team inboxes are below. Choose the one that matches the kind of help, introduction, or collaboration you want to offer.
General projecthello@thehighschoolproject.com.ngClick to email Comms & Engagementcomms@thehighschoolproject.com.ngClick to email Researchresearch@thehighschoolproject.com.ngClick to email Production & Implementationproduction@thehighschoolproject.com.ngClick to email Partnerships & Fundingpartnerships@thehighschoolproject.com.ngClick to email