Mrs. Olatokunbo Iyiola Edun is the Executive Director, Grace Schools, Gbagada, Lagos. She
holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Kent in Canterbury; a Master’s degree in Comparative History from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom (UK). She also bagged a Post-Graduate Diploma on Education at the University of Lagos. Edun has successfully managed Grace Schools for over 14 years, after the death of her mother/ founder, Deaconess Grace Bisola Osinowo. Edun urged the women to prepare themselves adequately for leadership positions and never look down on themselves. She spoke on the key factors that make her succeed against the general notion that businesses collapse after the demise of the owner. She is of the view that government should provide subventions for private schools, as it is obtainable overseas. Excerpts:
How can you describe your experience as an educationist?
I have had several experiences. I have been directly involved in the business of training the children since 1981, after my Masters degree in the United Kingdom (UK). Even when I was at the Queen’s College, Lagos, I had always been involved in learning the rudiments. I later started as a Nursery Assistant and I taught Grades 2, 3 and 6. I later became the headmistress. It was after several years later that I became the administrator. One thing is that children come up with different tales and they share stories of what transpired in their families in school. This is one reason parents need to be mindful of their actions as the children are good observers.
I have several experiences with parents and their characters. However, I have learnt not to have issues with them. I always try within my ability not to react negatively to them. Some parents behave inappropriately, but one needs to tolerate them. It is surprising that parents have abdicated their responsibilities to schools, which is not proper. Some parents do not monitor their children and as a result, they are unable to provide proper guidance for the children.
The truth is that the parents of the early 80’s were far better than the millennium parents. They were far more on ground seeking information on the progress of their children. It is unfortunate that today, children now control parents, which is very wrong. Some parents overreact based on the information provided by their children without cross checking with the school.
It has become important for parents to create more time for their children. Children are addicted to the screen -phones, tablets, TV and other gadgets. Parents need to discipline their children. Parental discipline is required to help today’s children have adequate focus on their education.
What are the critical success factors to manage business enterprise?
It is important for one to enjoy what she is doing. I am so passionate about managing the school, and I love the children so much. This makes me give my best to ensure the high standard. One should also be focused to achieve concrete things and have hands on the operations of the organisation. I need to manage my temperament with the parents. Every leader should be able to manage the clients well, and avoid clashes. It is also important to maintain relationships and not engage in controversies.
Leaders should also lead people in an exemplary way. Leaders should be able to correct errors without damage to the emotional well-being of the staff. These are some salient things that help me in managing the staff.
In my own case, I learnt the basics of school administration from my mother. My doggedness has paid off over the years. One should also persevere amid the challenges and never quit, but be hopeful. I have a strong determination and open to ideas and innovation. I have also attended several seminars and courses on education globally. I have also had the privilege to visit several countries such as Finland, Singapore, China among others.
What is your opinion on investing in school business as some owners complain?
The investment in school business is very huge, and we do this consistently. Most people think only about the money being made, but the investment is not what people see as one needs to maintain quality standard. We pay so much bills for electricity, diesel and others.
During the COVID-19 era, we invested millions of naira to sustain our Information and Communication Technology (ICT)- based learning that had begun before then. We developed ICT Infrastructure and communication devices to monitor each classroom online.
I personally supervised and monitored the classrooms for the period of nine months. This was a huge investment on our part. When we resumed, we brought in some materials from overseas to prevent students from being infected with the virus. Other facilities were bought to control infection and others.
With the economic situation in the country, schools have to improve their Infrastructure and facilities. For instance, we just built an ultra-modern school hall, which cost us millions of Naira. We have also built another block of classrooms. These are projects that cost us huge amount of money. School owners should seek to improve on their service delivery and not focus on the revenue alone.
In view of challenges faced by women, what advice can you give to them?
A woman is still being treated as a second-class citizen in our society. I am proud of my late father, Olorunmo Osinowo. He ensured that I had the best education, as a girl-child. The girl-child deserves to be educated. Something still needs to be done to help the girl-child on a larger scale in this country. It is a wrong perception that women cannot rise, except it is influenced by men. Women should not relegate themselves, but should rise to the occasion to showcase their competencies and capabilities. I urge women to be diligent and enjoy what they do. They should become more passionate in their pursuits and utilise every leadership opportunity well.
Women are better managers, and as a result, they should see themselves as such. Personally, I look forward to seeing a woman become the President of this country.
I further urge women to have the can-do spirit and persevere in life. They should not have low self-esteem but develop themselves. Women should prepare ahead to occupy key positions and remain focused in life.
What do you think government can do to support private school owners?
Government should provide subventions to private schools. In overseas, governments support private schools due to the cost of providing qualitative education. In Nigeria, we provide our own pipe-borne water, we make huge investment on solar energy, as electricity supply is not stable. We spend so much on diesel and petrol to fuel generating sets as well. We have, over the years, provided infrastructural facilities that government should provide for us.
What is the way forward for education in Nigeria?
It is important for government to acknowledge the efforts of the private schools. Government should provide infrastructural back-up to schools. The government should revamp public schools to ensure quality education. The issue of multiple taxation is what the government should look into. We pay taxes, licences and fees across all levels. The multiple taxation affects private education in Nigeria. Government should support private educators as we provide qualitative learning in the country.
