International Day of Education 2026: Zoe College takes spotlight in debate competition

International Day of Education 2026: Zoe College takes spotlight in debate competition

Yinka ADETUNJI

Zoe Schools, Ogbomoso, Oyo state has continued its journey of academic excellence in 2026 as it took the first position in a debate competition held as part of events marking the International Day of Education Stakeholders Dialogue 2026.

Representative of Zoe College, Esther Ajala, a student of SS One, outperformed seven others from specially chosen schools, which included both private and public secondary schools.

The debate held at The Assembly Innovative Hub had as topic, “Education reform should begin in the classrooms, not in government offices.”

Related Posts:

An initiative of UNESCO in conjunction with GradePlus Africa, the 2026 International Day of Education with theme, “The Power of Youth in Co-creating Education” was held in several Nigerian cities between January and February, and was designed to bring together “educators, policymakers, and youth leaders to discuss, network, and develop actionable, inclusive strategies for education, particularly in rural areas.”

The 2026 theme focused on empowering young people to shape learning environments.

Ogbomoso Baptist High School and Gomal Baptist College took second and third position respectively in the competition. Some other participants are LAUTECH International College, Smith Baptist Academy and Ogbomoso Girl’s High School.

Niyi and Grace Adebayo – CEO of Zoe Schools. The school had seven branches in three local governments with each branch boasting functional ICT centre

2025 saw Zoe Schools becoming a celebrated centre for Computer Based Examination (CBE) after it launched a 650-capacity CBT centre and secured accreditation of several topnotch exam bodies. The school founded by Rev’d (Dr) Niyi Adebayo and his wife, Grace, also in the year excelled in several competitions including emerging as winner of the 2025 National Institute for Legislative & Democratic Studies (NILDS) Quiz Competition on Legislature and Democracy, at Ibadan, which qualified it for the South West zonal edition.