logo

How to Start & Run a Successful School in Nigeria

Learn the art of establishing and operating a successful school in Nigeria. Using Greensprings School as a case study, this course teaches how you can build a reputable brand for your school, get constant students enrolment, manage your school's operation, school finance management, and more.
If you want to know how to start a school in Nigeria and run it successfully, this course is the blueprint you need.

We Need More Schools

Why Learn How to Start a School Business in Nigeria

The United Nations estimates the current Nigeria population of 200 million to peak at 400 million in 2050, but the number of out-of-school children in the country keeps growing everyday. Governments don’t have enough resources to maintain current schools – not to talk about building more. To take Nigeria from a developing country to a developed country, the country needs private school founders and investors like you.

However, because Nigeria ranks low on the Ease of Doing Business Global Index, starting and running a school in the country can be challenging. This is the reason we designed this course to serve as a blueprint for success for current and aspiring school owners/investors.

The inspiration for the course’s materials was drawn from the over 30 years’ systematic management of Greensprings School, one of the most successful and profitable schools in Nigeria. We believe that no matter the scale of the your school -- small, medium, or large --  you can replicate the lessons and learnings from this course and drive your school to prosperity in your own unique way.

how to start a school in Nigeria

The Greensprings School's Recipe for Success

Greensprings School started with just 3 students in 1985 at Anthony Village in Lagos, but today, it is one of the most sought-after schools in Nigeria, with over 2000 students across its three campuses. The school’s alumni network is made up of successful entrepreneurs and captains of industries, who are now enrolling their children in the school so that their children can also enjoy the kind of quality education they enjoyed.

This course aims to show you the secret recipe that made Greensprings grow exponentially and keep pulling a high number of new enrollments per session. You will learn the essential things you need to know before starting a school, as well as the process of a school’s operation. The course covers everything you need to know about how to run a private school successfully in Nigeria.

Starting a School Business: The Course Instructors

Mrs Koiki how to start a school in Nigeria

Mrs Lai Koiki

Founder, Greensprings Educational Services Limited

Lai Koiki is the brain behind Greensprings School. As an innovative educational leader, her strategic approach to management has led to the sustainable growth of the school for about four decades. Mrs Koiki has a Montessori Diploma from St. Nicholas Montessori Training Centre in the United Kingdom, and due to her wealth of experience, she consults for and provides capacity building training for educationists in public and private schools.

Aside from being the Chief Executive Officer of Greensprings School, Mrs Koiki is a board member of Accreditation International and the current President of the Association of Private Educators in Nigeria (APEN).

Dr Wilson how to start a school in Nigeria

Dr Barney Wilson

Former Deputy Director of Education, Greensprings Educational Services Limited

Barney Wilson is a diversity and inclusion expert. His professional experiences are in engineering, telecommunication, business consulting, and education. For many years, he served as an instructor and principal in schools in the United States of America, including serving as an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University.

Dr Wilson has a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Urban Educational Leadership and Community College Leadership from Morgan State University.

Mr Uche

Mr Uche Ogbu

Chief Strategy Officer, Greensprings Educational Services Limited

Uche Ogbu is a project management and marketing guru, with experience spanning about two decades. He has an MBA from Business School Netherland, and his professional career cuts across FMCG, banking, hospitality, and education.

Aside from being the Chief Strategy Officer of Greensprings Education Services Limited, he is an independent consultant and provides marketing and corporate strategy services to businesses across all sectors of the economy – including FinTech.

Mrs Laditi

Mrs Funke Laditi

Chief Finance Officer, Greensprings Educational Services Limited

Funke Laditi is a consultant and a Chartered Accountant, who has worked as a manager in KPMG, one of the Big Four accounting organizations. She studied Accounting at Babcock University, and her professional experiences are in banking, consulting, NGO, and education.

Mrs Laditi is the Chief Finance Officer of Greensprings School.

Mrs Oluranti Bankole

Head of Admission, Greensprings Educational Services Limited

Oluranti Bankole is an educator, a human resources management expert, and a customer relationship management (CRM) specialist. She has a Master's degree in Educational Technology and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education.

Serving as a member of Greensprings School’s senior leadership team, she masterminds a seamless admission procedure and ensures the school maintains a healthy relationship with parents. Mrs Bankole is Greensprings School’s Head of Admission and doubles as the Head of School at Greensprings Ikoyi campus.

Course Curriculum

Module 1: School as a Business (Expectation vs Reality, & Recipe for Success) by Mrs. Lai Koiki

In this first module on how to start a school in Nigeria, Mrs Lai Koiki shared her learning from running Greensprings School for about 40 years. She narrated the reason she started the school, the challenges she faced, how she was able to navigate the challenges, and how to set up a school for success. By the end of this module, you would have acquired the essential knowledge needed to start a private school business. Below are the sections in the module:

  • Introduction
  • Why this course?
  • Reasons people start a school
  • Why you need to a have strong WHY
  • Crafting a mission and vision statement, and core value for your school
  • Defining a unique selling proposition (USP)
  • Planning for sustainability
  • Determining priority, strategy, expected outcome, and timeline for a sustainable plan
  • Adding value to students and the school community
  • Importance of human capacity building and best practices
  • Recipe for success
  • How to generate constant students' enrolment
  • Leadership in school settings

Module 2: Running a School Effectively Leveraging Innovative Methods by Dr Barney Wilson, Mrs Feyisara Ojugo, & Mrs Bola Kolade

The module started with the history of education in Nigeria and then moved to how the school system in the country has evolved over time. The facilitators dwelled on school operation management and how to run the day-to-day activities of a school without a glitch. This module on how to start a school in Nigeria is where the facilitators reveal the operations within Greenprings School and how any school can adapt the style to their specific situation. Below are the sections in the module:

  • History of Education in Nigeria
  • Innovative approach and methods of education management
  • The Greensprings School's educational approach
  • Steps to running a school effectively
  • Running a school at a time like this (beyond limits)
  • Steps to hiring qualified teachers
  • Factors needed to run academic arm of the school
  • Forward thinking approach to learning
  • OPERATIONS - Setting up the right systems for daily smooth running of the school
  • A day at Greensprings School
  • Exposing students to global opportunities

Module 3: Customer Relationship Management (Maintaining a Healthy School Community) by Mrs Oluranti Bankole

The module is about how to interact with parents and how to manage any crisis that can tarnish the image of your school. Below are the sections in the module:

  • Introduction to customer relationship management
  • How to build a healthy parent-school relationship
  • How to create systems that foster a healthy parent-teacher relationship
  • Characteristics of a good customer relation officer
  • How to engage with parents on the phone
  • Is the customer always right? What to do when a parent takes to social media
  • Factors to consider when recruiting the customer service team
  • How to keep staff motivated
  • Curbing red tape in school

Module 4: School Finance Management by Mrs Olufunke Laditi

Because cash flow is important when it comes to running any business, the fourth module of this course on how to start a school in Nigeria is about finance management. In the module, you will learn how to determine the ideal school fees, how to ensure you never run out of money when running your school, and how to manage parents owing school fees. This module will give you the needed information on how to run a private school successfully in terms of finances. Below are the sections in the module:

  • How to determine the right tuition fee and other fees for your school
  • Cashflow management for a school
  • Integrating school management software with finance software
  • How to set up a good finance team
  • Managing debtors and the process of debt recovery

Module 5: Developing Sustainable Marketing Strategy for a School by Mr Uche Ogbu

The greatest mistake any school founder can make is to be unserious with marketing. With recent changes in consumer behaviours, parents do lots of research before choosing a school to enrol their children. As a school owner who wants to get constant enrolment, you need to dedicate effort to marketing and promotion of your school. Whether you are starting a Montessori school, a primary school, or a secondary school, this module provides the knowledge needed for marketing the school. Below are the sections in the modules:

  • What is marketing?
  • The concept of marketing funnel and buyer journey
  • The 10 steps for marketing a school

Testimonies about the Course

Here are what people are saying after taking this course on how to start and run a successful school in Nigeria. Your testimony is next!

Enrol at a 50% Discount

₦150,000

₦75,000

Access to this course for 3 months normally costs ₦150,000. But we are giving it away to you at a 50% discount. Pay ₦75,000 now, and access the full course for 3 months.

You will be issued a certificate after you complete the course.

About Greensprings Training College

A subsidiary of Greensprings School, Greensprings Training College (GTC) is the foremost college for teachers' training courses in Nigeria. We are an international training institution established to meet the developmental needs of the ever-evolving pool of teachers, school owners, parents, students and other professionals.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When will the training start?

"How to Start and Run a Successful School in Nigeria" is a pre-recorded online course. All the course materials have been uploaded to a Learning Management System (LMS). So, after you enrol for it, you will create a username and password that you will use to login into the LMS and watch the course’s videos.

2. Is the course a physical training in your school?

No, it is strictly an online course. You will access the course material through a Learning Management System (LMS).

3. Will the course be done live on Zoom or Google Meet?

No, this course on how to start a school in Nigeria was designed in a way that the videos have been pre-recorded and hosted on an LMS. There are no live classes.

4. What do you mean by “access to this course for 3 months?” Does it mean the course will take me 3 months to complete?

No, the course wouldn’t take you three months to complete. What we mean is that after enrolment, you can log in to the Learning Management System (LMS) for 3 months to watch the course videos. Depending on how free you are, you can complete the course in 1 day, 1 week, or 1 month, and you will get your certificate afterwards.

However, if you don’t watch all the videos and get your certificate within three months, your login to the Learning Management System (LMS) will expire, and you would have to enrol afresh (paying another money) before you can access the course videos again.

5. I don’t have a computer. Can I complete the online course on my phone?

Yes, the Learning Management System (LMS) is mobile-responsive. Therefore, you can take the course on your phone and get your certificate without any issues.

6. Will I get lecture materials for the course?

We aren't giving away any lecture materials. Therefore, we recommend that while taking this course on how to start and run a school successfully in Nigeria, you should jot down key points so that you can refer to them in the future.

7. I don’t want to pay via my ATM card. Can I pay via bank transfer?

Yes. Pay ₦75,000 into the following account.

Bank: Union Bank PLC

Name: Greensprings Educational Services Ltd Expense Card Account

Account Number: 0103962505

After payment send your full name, email address, phone number, and proof of payment to campaign@greenspringsschool.com

You will be granted access to the course within 3 work days.

 

For more enquiries, please call 08175401881 or send an email to campaign@greenspringsschool.com 

© Greensprings Training College 2023 | 22, Oluseun Street, Off Olujobi St, Gbagada, Lagos |  08023156642, 08184204253, 07045502425