Yoruba School Ottawa counts one of its early pupils among the people guiding its community work today. Temiloluwa Womiloju, who attended in the early 2000s, is listed as Isokan Yoruba Ottawa’s youth coordinator for 2026 to 2028.
Her biography on the association’s website describes a childhood connection that continued into adulthood. Born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, she later graduated from the University of Ottawa in biomedical sciences, specialising in cellular and molecular medicine, and went on to work at Health Canada.
Womiloju received the association’s post-secondary graduate award and took part in its summer barbecues, bowling events and Christmas gatherings. Her parents were active members, and her father served as president. School attendance was one part of a longer family involvement in the organisation.
That educational work appears in records stretching back well before the present executive team. In its anniversary address of 26 November 2011, Isokan said it had operated a Yoruba school for eight years through the Ottawa Catholic School Board’s continuing-education language programme.
The address thanked teachers, volunteers and parents, and announced a performance by the class of 2011. It also described awards recognising school and university qualifications, alongside acknowledgement of members’ voluntary work.
One unnamed member quoted in the address called the association “a home while we are away from home”. The member described children learning about their Yoruba and Nigerian identity alongside their everyday experience of being Canadian.
Isokan’s current school initiative links language learning with proverbs, traditional stories, music, dance, customs and community celebrations. Its published account says former pupils have become adult participants in the association. The school remains part of its cultural-preservation priorities for 2025 to 2029.
The organisation describes itself as a non-profit association serving Nigerian Yorubas in Ottawa and surrounding communities. Its stated mission combines the preservation of cultural heritage with support for members’ well-being, placing the school within a wider network of community activities.
For families considering Yoruba lessons this academic year, the Ottawa Catholic School Board lists the language in its elementary and secondary programmes. Both current course tables identify Yoruba as virtual, rather than assigning it to an in-person school site.
The board’s elementary programme covers Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 and accepts children regardless of their language background or school board. Its current registration page says applications remain open until March 2027. Registration must take place before a child attends.
Saturday morning classes run from 9.30am to noon. The board’s published school-year dates extend from 12 September 2026 to 19 June 2027. Its separate afternoon beginner programme lists other languages, so the afternoon timetable should not be assumed to apply to Yoruba.
The elementary programme is advertised as free for Ontario residents. Separate tuition rules apply to Quebec and international students, and the board reviews supporting documents before registration. It also warns that classes depend on sufficient enrolment and an available instructor; registering does not guarantee admission.
For older learners, Yoruba appears in the secondary credit programme, which runs on Saturdays from 9am to 12.30pm between 19 September 2026 and 5 June 2027. Students can earn up to three credits towards an Ontario secondary school diploma across the programme’s course levels.
The published secondary registration deadline was 3 October 2026 and has passed. Families seeking a place should contact continuing education about their circumstances, rather than assume the elementary registration window applies to secondary courses.
The school board describes teaching through interactive lessons, music, storytelling, games and cultural activities.
Elementary enquiries can be directed to Continuing.Education@ocsb.ca or 613-228-3338. The secondary programme lists 613-228-8888. Isokan’s website provides a separate route for families seeking information about the association and its cultural initiatives.
Illustrative archive photograph: Ottawa skyline viewed from Gatineau, 23 August 2018. Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized for website use. This is not a photograph of the school, its pupils or a class. Image source; licence.
