Prof. Adesoji A. Oni
Prof. Adesoji A. Oni will be at the GEI as Georg Arnhold Senior Fellow from August 2026 to January 2027.
Adesoji A. Oni is a Professor in the Department of Educational Foundations, University of Lagos, Nigeria, specializing in the Sociology of Education. He teaches at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, focusing on social change, teacher education, peace education, and social problems in education.
In 2022, Prof. Oni received the Shining Star Achievement in Research Award under the Noam Chomsky Global Connections Award by the STAR Scholars Network, recognizing his outstanding scholarly contributions across disciplines. Earlier, he was inducted into the International Educators Hall of Fame (USA) in 2020, with Distinguished Inductee recognition from the U.S. Congress.
A former Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Southern Illinois University (2003–2004), Rooney International Visiting Scholar at Robert Morris University (2018–2019), and participant in the African–Korean Education Collaborative at Pusan National University (2015), Oni has promoted global academic exchange. He was named Most Accomplished African Educational Researcher in 2014 by ADEA/ADI.
As Education Lead Expert to NATCOM UNESCO, Nigeria, Oni has consulted for UNESCO Africa, UNICEF, Nigeria Port Authority, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Nigeria Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and many leading primary and secondary schools in Nigeria, notably evaluating the Japan–UNESCO Project on Women and Girls’ Empowerment (2022) and developing a national proposal on out-of-school children.
His honors include the Fafunwa Educational Foundation Award (Best Ph.D. Thesis, 2006), a CODESRIA Textbook Grant (2008), and a African Minds Research Grant (2015).
With over 180 publications in international journals and edited volumes, Oni serves on the boards of 11 scholarly journals and is an active member of the Africa–Asia Dialogue on Education Network at Hiroshima University, Japan.
Widely traveled across all continents, Prof. Oni remains a leading voice in African higher education.
GEORG ARNHOLD SENIOR FELLOWSHIP 2026
Cultivating Sustainable Peace through Education: Curriculum Development in Secondary Schools in South West Nigeria
Prof. Oni is dedicating his fellowship at the GEI to project that seeks to design a culturally grounded peace education curriculum for secondary schools in South West Nigeria. Despite existing policies promoting national unity, peace education in Nigeria remains fragmented, theoretical, and poorly implemented. Teachers lack specialized training, and indigenous conflict resolution practices are rarely integrated into formal learning.
Drawing on Galtung’s Theory of Peace, Freire’s Critical Pedagogy, and curriculum design models, the study will evaluate current curricula, analyze teacher practices, and identify gaps that limit effective peacebuilding. Using a mixed-methods approach involving surveys, interviews, and document analysis across six states, the research will develop a framework that merges Yoruba traditional approaches to reconciliation with global best practices.
The expected outcome is a peace-oriented curriculum that empowers teachers and equips students with practical conflict resolution skills, fostering social cohesion and sustainable peace. The findings will guide policymakers, educators, and UNESCO partners in translating policy into classroom practice for national and regional implementation.
