In an exclusive interview with EdFina, Founder of Great Unique Schools - Mrs Aiyemonisan Chinyere Maguline discusses her passion for education and the vision she has for her school
My Life before starting Great Unique Schools
After my SSCE in 1983, I worked as an assistant newspaper reviewer and as a children co-ordinator for a programme on Anambra Television. After that, I furthered my education at Awka College of Education in Enugu state where i read English Religious Studies and obtained my N.C.E certificate on Education. Post that I enrolled in University of Lagos for my B.Ed where I studied Education Administration . After that I worked in many schools such as Girls Secondary school, Nachi Enugu state and Ansarudeen School, Lagos as a teacher before starting my school.
What made me start Great Unique Schools
My inspiration was as a result of the passion and love i have towards children and the divine revelation I received on 13th December 1996, during church service wherein the Lord impressed upon me during a sermon the need to find my position in this life. Teaching and running a school to shape the future of my community and nation was the answer.
Divine intervention backed by a passion for teaching is what got Mrs. Maguline to start Great Unique Schools
A hands-on schoolpreneur who sees herself as a facilitator for her team to accomplish tasks
The challenges I see with respect to the education system in Nigeria that my school is helping to solve
Every success story has challenges. One of the challenges we had was to deal with, in our first 10 years of inception was a community dominated by people with little value or appreciation for western education. We were forced to go from house to house begging parents to release their children for school, not minding their inability to pay for tuition. Next was the poor attitude of parents towards school fees and the purchase of learning materials like textbooks and other aids. Another major challenge we face is the inability of the parents to pay for their child’s tuition. This makes the school management squeeze whatever little funds they have and still go the extra mile to borrow loans in order to pay the salaries to teachers and administrative staff to keep the school going.
Greater Unique Schools
Surulere, Lagos
256
No. of School Students
28
No. of Class Teachers
20
No. of Classrooms
30000 Naira
Annual School Fees
Creche, Nursery to Primary (Std. I to VI)
Education Provided
Now the teachers have their enthusiasm and more in place to WOW! their students in every class and make learning truly an enjoyable experience.
A glimpse into my regular day in school and my work style
Being a goal-oriented person, I have a to-do-list filled with operational tasks for both management and staffs to achieve on a daily basis. I play the role of a facilitator and enabler to get them to accomplish these tasks, and in turn make the school truly ‘Great’.
Achievements of Great Unique Schools
We have graduated more than a thousand pupils over the last 2 decades and have achieved academic heights, primarily in our students being successful in basic school leaving examinations besides excellence in different co-curricular and extra-curricular competitions. We have a permanent site and good affiliations with educational regulatory bodies in Lagos.
Here’s how Great Unique Schools is making a difference to the lives of students and to the society as a whole
We hire the most qualified teachers who impart the best of knowledge to our students. Additionally, we engage them in class through activity-based learnings as well as by conducting out of class activities which help us identify the talent in them to be honed for the future. As a school we also engage in welfare activities to help the community we work in as well as the society as a whole.
Great Unique Schools hires the highest qualified teachers and ensures quality education for your child
Through Great Unique Schools, Mrs. Maguline is shaping her students into leaders of tomorrow
The roadmap to the future
The future plans for Great Unique Schools are to continue to provide a conducive learning environment that will empower and motivate students to acquire, explore, articulate and value knowledge that will support them as life-long learners to participate in and contribute to the global world. We plan to mould our students into tomorrow’s expert researchers, explorers, innovators and leaders using the latest technological facilities and quality education.
