Like any other person with an entrepreneurial mindset, Fadeyi Nurudeen Adeniyi is an entrepreneur cum School owner. He is not the only one in our world. There are millions of entrepreneurs out there, working round the clock to make ends meet, daily.
But, like every entrepreneur with a positive, can-do-it mindset, he seems to see the business sides in every situation he finds himself-good or bad.
An indigene of Abeokuta in Ogun State, Adeniyi, popularly known as Dr Fadex, teaches Biology and Chemistry at Kolaniks International School in Oke Aro, Ogun State.
A certified CISCO Network Associate, Adeniyi is also a motivational speaker, author and chief executive officer of Dr Fadex Tutors, located along Awolowo Avenue, Isheri Hospital area of Ago Ilorin in Ifo Ogun State.
Speaking with our correspondent on Friday, Adeniyi argued that it is not easy for a weak-minded person to survive in a distressed economy that Nigeria is presently faced with.
According to him, running a successful private school in local communities in our country, requires raw courage, determination and the vision to see beyond the endemic poverty ravaging most communities.
He explained that google check shows that there are about 250 million people, in Nigeria, with 20-million -out-of-school-children, while millions of people are living below poverty line.
Therefore, in most private schools, each pupil and student pay between N100 to N300, daily for lessons on the go.
Investigations by our correspondent however reveal that school fees are not also paid on time by parents and guardians, while half-baked teachers are hired to teach virtually all courses, and examination padding seems to be the order of the day, he lamented.
In Ifo, Ogun State for instance, some top rated schools like: Adedokun International School, DWAT Home School, Unique International Schools, Evergreen International School, St Jacobs Schools, Access College, St George Foundation School, Alpha T International Schools, Astute Schools, etc, charge parents and guardians good money to deliver quality educational services.
For after school lessons, some of these schools charge each student N6000 per day.
But, some smaller schools like Good Tidings Model Schools, located at Ogundimu Street, in Bungalow, Ifo, Ogun State, collects N100 to N200 from each student for lessons, and N10,000 to N18,000 per term from the students from nursery through to primary 6 levels. Yet observations show that some students have crossed over to other schools
Godwin Adamu, owner of the school was positive when he said that he “is sure more new students will join the school soon.
Astute Schools, Unique International Schools, have erected billboards around Sango-Ota, Abeokuta, Ewekoro, and Sagamu, seeking for more students for admission.
However, a private school owner, names withheld, said some schools use incentives such as sweets, biscuits, soft drinks, etc to entice new students from other schools, who attend their holiday lessons, with the hope of the students returning to continue with them when schools resume.
“The ultimate intention is to influence the students to put pressure on their parents to send them to the schools that organized the lessons, preparatory to join the school’s after lesson
Adesina Tunde Patrick, chairman of National Association of Private School Proprietors, Ifo Ward, could not be reached for comment on this angle of the story.
However, Shodumi Abdulkabir, Founder Evergreen Schools said “School fees are determined by the communities that schools are located, as well the facilities on ground as well as the employment of qualified teachers”.
The Evergreen International School CEO further explained that holiday lessons or no holiday lessons, private school owners and teachers should endeavor to deal truthfully and honestly with students and parents on their academic status of their children.
