Before you start your own primary school in Nigeria, read this

According to data by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) 60% of primary school age children are not in school. This points to a demand for primary school education in the country. Even though there are myriad reasons why Nigeria’s primary school age children are not in school, the lack of a proportionate number of schools to cater to the large population of primary school age children means even if we can get every child to be in school, there are far from enough schools to put them in. Starting a primary school in Nigeria is a viable business idea to consider as it meets a critical demand in the country, and with a service like the Education Loan scheme from Letshego, you can have the financial backing to start your own school. But first, what do you need to start your own primary school in Nigeria? In this article, we will look at the things you need to consider and the steps you need to take to start a primary school in Nigeria.

Register your School as a Business

This is important because it sets up your school as a legal business. This is done at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) where they will confirm the availability of your school business name and issue you a Certificate of Business Name Registration. In deciding a business name, you need to consider what you want your school business brand to be, how you want your school to be seen and what you want it to stand out for.

Obtain Government Approval of your School

After registering a school name, you need to obtain government approval to set up a school from the ministry of education. It is recommended to begin this step before setting up the physical structure of your school because you will need to be aware how the requirements necessary for the approval in the state where your school will be located might influence the choices you make in setting it up. For example, you need to be aware what the minimum standard requirements are for the size of the classes, the specifications and required order of the school buildings, and so on.

Usually, the ministry of education will send inspectors to check if your school site meets the standard requirements. They will also send another team to inspect your curriculum and administrative structure to be sure it is in accordance with the required standard. Passing these inspections and checks will then get your school approved.

Set up School Structure/Logistics

You will have to set up the physical location of your school keeping in mind that it has to be strategically placed. It is recommended to locate your school close to a residential area to make it easily accessible. You do not want to locate it too close to the noisiest part of town either. You may have to purchase a piece of land to build your school on. You could also rent a building that can serve the purpose in the meantime before setting out to develop your own school site eventually. You will have to also think about things like school buses.

Employ Staff/Set Up Administrative and Academic Structure

A school is really about the people in it and what they do. Your primary school will need to have teachers and other staff who make it run smoothly. You will need to get skilled people to oversee curriculum, finances and more. By government-recommended Universal Basic Standard, a primary school should not exceed a teacher-pupil ratio of 1:40. So depending on the number of pupils your school is supposed to take, you will have to make sure every role is adequately covered to have your school run smoothly.

If You Need Help, Get a Loan

Sometimes to keep your school running at the optimal, you may need help in capital. You do not need to be at loss as Letshego improves lives through education enablement of the people by offering Education loans to schools and tutorial centres to keep schools running. This is also open to school suppliers.