Anthony Isiani, a graduate of mechanical engineering from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, turned down lucrative offers in the oil and gas sector to pursue a vision born in a village classroom.
During his national youth service, Isiani was posted to a secondary school where he was asked to help pupils with mathematics, Further Mathematics and Technical Drawing. Faced with students struggling to grasp concepts, he began designing practical tools to aid learning. What started as improvisation in the classroom grew into School Development Support (SDS) International, which he founded 27 years ago at the age of 28.
The company has since developed nine original solutions for schools, including classroom furniture, laboratories, audiovisual equipment and digital teaching systems. It also trains teachers across the country. “I could have stayed in the oil industry,” Isiani said, “but I chose to solve problems for schools. Today, SDS works nationwide, with Isiani promoting what he calls ‘education engineering, ‘ the use of design and innovation to strengthen learning. “It is no longer about profit. It is about building classrooms of the future and giving children the tools we never had,” he said.
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