NAPPS PRESIDENT LAGOS ALHAJI OLAWALE MUHAMMED PLANS BIG FOR MEMBERS AND TEACHERS

Target To Build a Conference Center and Estate for Members

The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) is the apex association of Private School Owners in Nigeria. NAPPS was created to promote the welfare and interaction of proprietors of private schools and advancement of quality educational services in the country.

NAPPS is embedded in the core values of integrity, equity, discipline, patriotism, and religious tolerance, with a set out mission to strive to be the incubator of knowledge and orientation required to provide and create the change needed for national development and transformation.

Mr Olawale Mohammed Tairu Amusa, is the incumbent and 10th president of National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) Lagos State. He is an educationist, businessman, philanthropist and founder of HOMAT GROUP of Schools, a former president of NAPPS Ikorodu chapter, and also a member of the prestigious Ikorodu Resource Group.

As the herald of education, EDUCARE NEWS in an effort to report the plans, programmes and progress NAPPS has made under the stewardship of Alhaji Mohammed, visited his office, where we had a super exclusive interview session with the amiable educationist.

In a captivating and intensive interview session, Mohammed bares his mind on all of the development in NAPPS, what they have done so far, plans and projects, and how under his leadership, he plans to position the association on a great pedestal.

NAPPS AS AN ASSOCIATION, DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS

We have members of NAPPS in all local government in Lagos state. NAPPS as an association ensure that school under us are government approved being monitored by ministry of education and NAPPS.

Apart from the office of Quality Assurance Department in the ministry of education in Alausa, we equally have Quality Assurance Committee, where members were appointed to visit schools, to ensure the total quality services are provided in our various schools, and regular seminars are being carried out to ensure that at least we provide the standard that are required in bringing education to many Nigerians in Lagos state.

SCHOOLS UNDER THE UMBRELLA BODY OF NAPPS ARE THEY MEASURING UP TO THE EXPECTED STANDARD?

By the special grace of God most of our schools are government approved, and before any school is being approved in Lagos state, there are some requirements that are supposed to be met, it has to be purpose built, the number of classrooms, the special rooms, counselling department, sick bay and quality professional teachers. At the same time, we have other records that are supposed to be maintained in every school, so once these requirements are been met definitely approval are given to such schools.

Also, we on our part, we normally visit schools to ensure we have our members comply with guidelines that private schools supposed to follow in Lagos state.

Recently, we had a retreat for all leaders in the system, EXCO at state level, the chapter level and the wards, and we urge them to also ensure that the standard of education in Lagos state is being maintained because we believe parents in our schools are supposed to at least have the benefit of the amount they have paid. We are out to satisfy parent and ensure that students that are passing through our schools are well groomed so that they can contribute to the development of their country, our job is to make sure we prepare these students to be useful to themselves and to be useful to the society, these in a way can reduce criminal activities.

The standard of education we have been imparting on learners under us has in no small way help to curtail criminal activities especially here in the southern part of the country. That is why private schools are the first set of schools to be reckoned with.

CHALLENGES FACING NAPPS AND ITS MEMBERS

We have so many challenges facing members, most especially post COVID which affected most businesses in Nigeria and majority of our teachers were paid 50 per cent while some proprietors were unable to pay salaries for like 6 months.

That affected the system, at present we are trying to ensure that at least staffs under our care are being encouraged to stay in the system. People have this notion that if they have opportunity to work with state or federal government that salary will go on even when there are challenges in the future.

But in private schools, it is when parents pay school fees that we can pay salary of our staffs. Also, the commercial banks in Nigeria charges high interest rate, recently it has been increased by 4%(percent), rising by 31% (percent) interest rate on every loan collected.

We want a situation where government can assist us so we can have less than 10% (percent) interest rate.

We provide job to many Nigerians, and we also assist government to produce total quality service to these children, so there are a lot of contribution we are doing to assist the government.

And the issues of approval, we want it to be easier than what we are having at the moment. The requirements were so tough that not everybody in the business wants to be properly registered, we want the requirement to be friendly so that at least we can jointly have these children trained together, as a private school we believe that our duty is to touch many lives to provide these quality education services to many children so that at least the criminal activities in the system can be reduced.

WHAT ARE THE MOTIVATIONAL INCETIVES/ REWARD PACKAGES FOR NAPPS MEMBERS?

We have so many of that, for teachers, we do have regular seminars for them to update that will help them have effective teachings in the classroom, and to propel them for the 21st century, because after COVID they have to be carried along.

NAPPS as an association is working towards having an estate, and we have encouraged our members to ensure that welfare of their staffs is equally look into, we want a situation whereby once we get the acres of land, it would be sold to our members at a very reduced cost. As we are planning for ourselves, we should be planning for the future of our teachers.

Other welfare packages we are working on is the Health Insurance Scheme, recently we have partnered with an Health Insurance Company, which have been extended to staffs, teachers and proprietors under our association.

We equally tried our best to ensure that the COVID-19 relieve package that are meant for Nigerians, some of our teachers were also beneficiary of it. At least ten of our members staff in every school were paid N30,000 to cushion the effect of COVID-19.

We have equally encouraged members to ensure that effort is done to ensure discount are given to teachers that are serving under them because they are instrument, we are using to ensure our schools are up to standard. So, they should equally encourage their children to attend their school by giving them discount.

Like my own school, (HOMAT GROUP OF SCHOOLS), we give them nothing less than 50% (percent) discount to children of our staff, this is to ensure we also contribute to the training of children of our staff.

On accommodation, we have also encouraging our members to ensure thy subsidize fees paid for accommodation, these are ways to encourage members of staff.

In my own school, we have 3 staffs Quarters/ Estate, we have one at Offin, we have two at Ogunfoye, where we purchase acres of land 15 years ago, a plot of land was distributed to two staffs.

In HOMAT, teachers who have spent up to 12 years are living in their own house, we want this to be replicated by members of NAPPS, we need to make them happy. Without them there can never be private schools, we cannot do it alone, we need to encourage them, so when we have improved welfare package, it is meant to retain the experienced hands, it is not very good for teachers to be leaving frequently. Experienced teachers ensure that students perform well especially in external examinations

NAPPS IN FUTURE

By the special grace of God, the immediate past president, in the person of Alhaji (Dr.) Wasiu Olaitan Adumedeyin is an achiever, before we took over, there was no secretariat, he built a well-equipped secretariat in Okota, He also got for the association an 18-seater Toyota bus.

On my own part, our target is to build a conference center, where seminars can be organized. Also, we plan to have a NAPPS institute where teachers can be retrained and certificate of participation given to them.

We also plan to establish our own radio station, an online radio, while we are also working out modalities to establish NAPPS magazine.

Under my leadership, we also taking it further by getting an Health Insurance Scheme for the association, we are already at advance stage on that, members of NAPPS will benefit from this Health Insurance Scheme.

At the moment we have a superb welfare package, we are in  good rapport with the ministry’s officials, not only do we help members when there is a problem, we also support in the supply of items like stationaries, statutory records, we have made impact in that by having registers and many other things that are sold to members at a very cheap cost, like infare thermometer, washing machines etc. the aim of our administration is to items to members at an affordable price, and they can testify to this.

On the Unified exams, we have improved on that, we do supply to members in their various schools, this is aim at reducing the stress and other logistics that goes with distribution and compilation of results.

We are all out to serve because we apply for the post we are occupying now, and for two years now, we are dedicated in serving our members better considering the fact that when we serve humanity, we are serving God.

When we serve human being, it’s another way of appreciating God in our life for the wonderful things he had done for us, we don’t have any work than to serve humanity and to serve them better this period.

NAPPS with over 3,000 members in Lagos State, and under the leadership of Alhaji Olawale Mohammed have designed a road map for a successful implementation of projects and achieving its set goals and objectives.

Mr Mohammed, a result oriented and astute educationist, is on course to leave an indelible mark on this great association, founded on the framework to promoting the welfare and interaction of proprietors of private schools and advancement of quality educational services in Nigeria.