Sell Your School

 

I got a call from a parent outside Nigeria, and she wanted an online teacher in Nigeria for her kids. I asked her why and this was her response: “Most times I ask my kids what they do in school, and they tell me, they had swimming lessons, had some time at the gym, or had other activities aside academics.” Then she said again; “I think the attention on the social life is more than the academics.” I related this to what we have in our Nigerian schools, and asked two questions: What is the primary objective of sending kids to school? And what really sells a school?

Although every school has their vision, that guides their operations, all schools still have a common goal. This common goal is to educate learners. So the definition of education as it applies to different schools matters. In as much as different schools have their vision, it must also be noted that parents also have their goals of sending their kids to school, which primarily is so that they can read and write.

Educating a child is not a one side thing, but an all round development thing. So, while trying to satisfy parents, schools must pay attention to the various areas of development of a child. These areas include: academics, social, and emotional. The problem in establishing what a school really should focus more on, comes up, because most schools want to attract prospective parents.

Since education is encompassing, every aspect can sell a school, but most importantly, the academics. No parents would be happy if a child is very social and exposed, but cannot do well in academic work. So, schools should not focus more on activities, which are a means of marketing a school, than academics, which is a major factor.

In a nutshell, pay more attention to the academic area of your school, while you spice up with relevant activities.