Under the leadership of Dr. Adefunke Ekine, the national body of OMEP Nigeria organized the inaugural national webinar meeting on June 12, 2024, to address the pressing need for strategies in growing schools during challenging times. The event aimed to enhance the knowledge of school owners amid the diverse challenges they face.
The guest speaker for the day was Mrs. Bukola Ogunyemi of Ebire Creche Nursery and Primary School. Mrs. Ogunyemi has been managing the institution for nearly 40 years after succeeding her late mother. Established in 1958, the school has garnered numerous local and national awards.
Mrs. Ogunyemi delivered a presentation on the theme “Growing a School in Times Like This,” emphasizing 14 key strategies:
1. Embrace technology by all means.
2. Be more creative and innovative.
3. Avoid increasing school fees unless absolutely necessary.
4. Encourage your staff members in any way you can.
5. Provide more value for your services; go the extra mile.
6. Improve your customer relationships.
7. Discover your unique selling point and work on it.
8. Cut down unnecessary spending and frivolities; you do not need to buy everything.
9. Become more tech-savvy; improve your computer skills.
10. Avoid wastage.
11. Protect your name; you don’t want it in the news for bad reasons.
12. Build a portfolio of powerful testimonials.
13. Nurture your customer base; you do not want to lose your current students.
14. Lastly and most importantly, do not forget your God.
The meeting was attended by 42 participants from various locations across the country. The session was met with gratitude, as attendees found it to be an eye-opener and clearly understood Mrs.Ogunyemi’s insights. Growing a school in a time like this _2