QUESTION: Tell us about yourself.

A: I and my wife, Miller, are the proprietors of Gracious Academy, a mixed day primary school. It began in 2003 as a nursery school and has now reached class four level.

Q. What is your educational background?

A: I am a trained primary school teacher while my wife is a trained high school teacher.

Q. Why did you establish this school?

A: My church had several members who had trained as primary school teachers who did not have jobs. I decided to create jobs for them. Furthermore, there was no quality education in public primary schools due to high number of pupils enrolling for free primary school education. I decided to come with an alternative that would give special attention to children. I also believe that it is my sacred duty as a church minister to ensure that my congregation gets the best in life.

Q. How did you start?

A. I talked to my church board and members and shared my vision with them. We agreed to collectively contribute some money to purchase land. When time to submit the money came, no one had done it except me. I then saw the danger of making the school a church project.

Q. That must have been discouraging.

A: Indeed it was but nothing can stop an idea whose time has come. I started engaging myself in maize farming and from the produce; I bought land in bits and now I have two acres.

Q: What is your assessment of the poor response?

A: Generally, most people here are poor. HIV/AIDS has ravaged most homes and the level of illiteracy is high.

Q. Why are your classrooms made of iron sheet walls?

A: Iron sheets are easy to obtain and save time compared to bricks. They occupy less space in terms of partitioning hence being economical in space utilization. They don’t require much expertise to fix and can be relocated.

Q: How big is your school?

A: Five classrooms, from nursery to standard four. The school runs a separate class for baby care. It has six teachers and a cook.

Q: Do you face any challenges?

A: Earlier on paying staff was a problem. I had to do it from my pocket for almost three years. I am glad that the school is able to pay the staff. However there is high default in payment of fees since many parents are poor. Most of them are (ethnic) clash victims who were settled here.

Q: How do you make your school attractive?

A: I have employed trained and competent staff who I closely supervise. My standards are always high. I don’t chase away pupils every now and then. The school fee is affordable - Kshs1,000 ($13) per term for the primary section and Kshs600 ($7.8) for the nursery and baby care. We provide holiday tuition on request and lunch for those willing. Those who would like lunch contribute six kilos of beans, another six kilos of rice and Kshs230 ($3) to cater for firewood and the cook’s salary.

Q: The government of Nigeria has persistently waged war on private schools serving low income earners. What do you make of it?

A: Why is the government scared of private schools? They are supplementing the government effort to provide education for all by 2015. Even universities have parallel programs. Let people have their choice. In Kenya for example, 300,000 candidates who sat for the national primary exam in 2002 did not get places in secondary schools.

Staunch opponents of school choice like Bill Clinton (Former US President) and the Rev Jesse Jackson have all had their children in private schools. Go to other opponents of school choice and you will get their children in private schools. They are preaching water and drinking wine. Fifty percent of public school teachers in Hawaii and 40% of those in Alabama have their children in private schools.

Q: Michael Latham, Principal International Consultant on education matters is considering contractual arrangements between the government and private institutions, to help provide education. What is your view on this?

A: You talking about private public partnership. I think it is a bright idea looking at the constraints we go through. The status quo reveals that parents are being taxed twice – to cater for public schools and pay for private education. If parents were given tax credits or given money currently spent on public schools in the form of voucher or scholarship to be spent at the public or private school of their choice, education would be funded by compulsory taxation but give parents freedom of choice as in Denmark and Netherlands.

Q: How has free primary education changed the educational landscape in your town?

A: In terms of stationery, it has been quite beneficial. Pupils have many books to read, exercise books to write in and pens. As per standards, there is a big load on teachers hence no individual attention for pupils leading to poor performance. Most of my class two and three pupils transferred from public schools due to this. I have pupils who transferred from other private schools due to high fees.

Q. What are your plans for the future?

A: To construct permanent (brick) classrooms and start a high school. I hope to resign soon and actively manage this school.

Q. What is your message to other private school entrepreneurs and government?

A: Entrepreneurs should aim at networking and provision of quality education. Education is a form of business, which has to yield both seen and unseen profit. If my teachers don’t work, they don’t receive any pay. If the children don’t show up, the school will lose revenue and the school has to be constructed at a place where parents will want to send their children.

The government should adopt entrepreneur friendly procedures for school registration to encourage private initiatives. Government schools are a protected monopoly hence decisions are made on political grounds. Competition among educators would improve educational quality and put the control where it should be – with the consumers.