Why Start a Private School?

One of the best things that can happen to anyone is to have a private school. This is one very lucrative
business that will continue to rake in money for its owners. As an aspiring entrepreneur who is looking
towards starting a business, you should ensure that whatever business you intend to start, you make
sure that it is located in an appropriate place.

For example; if you want to start a private school, it will be a wrong business judgment if you decide to
site the school close to an industrial area or close to a market. Aspiring entrepreneurs therefore are
urged as a matter of necessity to ensure that they carry out a thorough market research and feasibility
study of the industry they intend to go into before investing their hard earned money and time.

It is known fact that the demand for private schools is driven by the fact that most public cum
government owned schools cannot accommodate every students or potential students in a given
geographical location. In some cases, students with special needs cannot cope in public schools hence
the need for private schools.

Industry Overview

Private schools which is also known in Africa as independent schools, non-governmental, or non – state
schools are schools that are not administered by either the local, state or the federal governments;
hence, they have the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their
students tuition fees, rather than relying on mandatory taxation through public (government) funding.

Some private schools have structure in place that offer scholarships to some students, which makes the
cost cheaper, depending on a talent such as sport scholarship, art scholarship, academic scholarship the
student may be brining to the private school, financial need, or tax credit scholarships that might be
available.

The Private Schools industry comprises of primary that is kindergarten through sixth grade and
secondary that is seventh through 12th grade) educational institutions that are predominantly funded
through enrollment and tuition fees from students and of course from other private sources.
Recent reports released by punch shows that the revenue for the Private Schools industry is expected to
increase, as the economy continues to recover. The indicated that during the five years to 2016,
enrollment decreased, which was a trend attributable to rising costs and competition from charter
schools.

However, going forward, in the next five years, household income is anticipated to increase, making it
easier for families to afford private-school tuition. Additionally, enrollment declines will lesson, resulting
in more stable demand for private schools

In Africa and of course in most countries of the world, The Private Schools industry is indeed a large and
thriving industry. Statistics has it that The Private Schools industry in Africa, is worth $52 billion, with an
estimated growth rate of 0.1 percent.

There are about 25,742 registered and licensed (accredited) Private schools scattered all around the
Africa and they are responsible for employing about 644,320 people.

Aside from Catholic schools, which is the second largest sector after government schools, with around
21 percent of secondary enrollments, no other private school can boast of dominating the market; every
player in the industry can comfortably compete in the industry.

It is important to state that the barriers to entry into the Private Schools industry are high. As a matter
of fact, the private school industry is an industry in which it is pretty difficult for new entrants to
establish themselves. So also, the reputation of the private school is of utmost importance, as private
schools that have a good history of getting students into prestigious colleges often have the best
reputations hence good enrollments.

With this, it is obvious that a new entrant in to the private school industry cannot offer this. Reputation
indeed is imperative to parents’ decisions when shopping for private school for their wards. This is so
because the quality of education cannot be assessed until well after it is complete. As a major marketing
tool, schools need to show parents a track record of admission to elite colleges and universities.

Even though this might seem like a saturated industry, the industry is still pretty much open for aspiring
school proprietors and proprietress to still come in and compete. As a matter of fact, if you conduct your
research and feasibility studies very well before starting your own private school couple with impressive
profile of your faculty members, you are likely going to struggle less to make headway in the industry.

Executive Summary

Our International Private School is an international private school that will be located in a well –
populated residential estate in Nigeria, Africa. We are a standard private school that is composed of
primary (kindergarten through sixth grade) and secondary (seventh through 12th grade) educational
institution that will be predominantly funded through tuition fees and levies from students and of
course from other private sources.

Our International Private School is a client-focused and result driven private school that provides broad-
based learning approaches and experience at an affordable fee that won’t in any way put a hole in the
pockets of our clients (students and parents alike).

We will offer standard and professional teaching services in a highly secured and conducive learning
environment to all our students that is primary (kindergarten through sixth grade) and secondary
(seventh through 12th grade). We will ensure that we work hard to meet and surpass all our students’
expectations and educational goals whenever they enroll in our tutorial college.

At our International Private School, our students’ overall best interest would always come first, and
everything we do is guided by our values and professional ethics. We will ensure that we hire
professional educationist cum teachers in various subjects who are well experienced and passionate in
imparting knowledge to students at various learning ladder.

Our International Private School will at all time demonstrate her commitment to sustainability, both
individually and as an educational organization, by actively participating in our communities and
integrating sustainable business practices wherever possible.

We will ensure that we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards by meeting our students’
needs precisely and completely. We will cultivate a working environment that provides a human,
sustainable approach to earning a living, and living in our world, for our partners, employees and for our
students.
We have plans to offer learning platforms to people with both learning disability and physical disability
(especially the blind, the dumb and the deaf). Our overall business goal is to position our private school
to become the leading tutorial brand in the educational industry in the whole of Nigeria, and also to be
amongst the top private schools in the United States of America within the first 12 years of operations.

This might look too tall a dream but we are optimistic that this will surely come to pass because we have
done our research and feasibility studies and we are enthusiastic and confident that Ashville is the right
place to launch our private school.

Our International Private School is founded by Akinfenwa oluwashola and family. She is an educationist
per excellence and she is in the management sector and has both the academic qualifications and
experience to run a private school that can favorably compete with other leading private schools not
only in Nigeria , but also throughout the Africa.

Our Product and Services

Our International Private School is going to offer varieties of educational services within the scope of the
education board in Africa. Our intention of starting our private school is to soundly educate people in
various subjects and of course to make profits from the education cum private schools industry and we
will do all that is permitted by the law in Africa to achieve our aim and business goal.

Our service offerings are listed below;

Teaching basic literacy and numeracy

Establishing foundations in science, mathematics, geography, history and other social sciences

Constantly working hard to meet regulatory accreditation standards

Administering private funding efforts

Providing access to extracurricular activities

Retailing of Educational Books and Materials

Our Mission and Vision Statement

Our vision is to build a highly competitive private school that will become the number one choice for
both parents and students in the whole of Ashville – North Carolina.

Our vision reflects our values: integrity, service, excellence and teamwork.

Our mission is to provide professional and conducive learning environment to students at different level
of learning.

Our overall business goal is to position Rolland Gyros International Private School to become the leading
private school brand in the educational cum private school industry in the whole of Nigeria, and also to
be amongst the top private schools in Africa within the first 12 years of operations.

Our Business Structure

It is a known fact that, the success of any business is to a larger extent dependent on the business
structure of the organization and the people who occupy the available roles in the organization. Our
International Private School will build a solid business structure that can support the growth of our
private school.

We will ensure that we hire competent hands (teaching and non – teaching staff members) to help us
build the private school of our dream. The fact that we want to become one of the leading private
school brand in the industry in the whole of Africa makes it highly necessary for our organization to
deliberately build a well – structured business from the onset.

We will work hard to ensure that we only attract people with the right mindset to help us achieve our
business goals and objectives in record time. Below is the business structure that we will build our
International Private School;

Head of The Private School(School Proprietress)

School Administrator

Tutors for Various Subjects – Secondary (seventh through 12th grade)

Tutors for Various Subjects – Primary (kindergarten through sixth grade)

Accountant / Bursar
Client Service Executive / Front Desk Officer

Cleaners

Security Officers

Job Roles and Responsibilities

Head of the Tutorial College / School Coordinator:

Responsible for providing direction for the college

Creates, communicates, and implements the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e.
leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.

Responsible for handling high profile clients and deals

Responsible for fixing fees and signing business deals (partnership)

Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the tutorial college

Coordinates all arms of the tutorial school (tutorial center, adult education, home tutors and special
education)

Evaluates the success of the tutorial college

Reports to the board of the tutorial college

School Administrator

Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the tutorial school

Designs job descriptions with KPI to drive performance management for tutors (teachers)

Regularly hold meetings with key stakeholders (parents and member of the school board) to review the
effectiveness of the schools’ Policies, Procedures and Processes

Maintains office supplies by checking stocks; placing and expediting orders; evaluating new products.

Ensures operation of equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements; calling for

repairs.

Defines job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process

Carries out staff induction for new team members

Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees

Responsible for arranging travel, meetings and appointments

Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications;

maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations.

Oversees the smooth running of the daily activities of the private school.

Tutors for Various Subjects – Secondary (seventh through 12th grade)

Effectively teach subject / subjects as assigned by the school administrator

Accesses the progress of students under their care

Ensures that students abide by the rules and regulations of the private school

Contributes his / her quota towards growing the private school

Receives complaints from parents and channel it to the appropriate quarters

Handle any other duty as assigned by the school administrator.

Tutors for Various Subjects – Primary (kindergarten through sixth grade)

Effectively teach subject / subjects as assigned by the school administrator

Teaching basic literacy and numeracy

Establishing foundations in science, mathematics, geography, history and other social sciences

Accesses the progress of students under their care

Ensure that students abide by the rules and regulations of the school administrator

Contributes his / her quota towards growing the private school

Receives complaints from parents and channel it to the appropriate quarters

Handles any other duty as assigned by the school administrator.

Marketing Executive

Identifies, prioritizes, and reaches out to new students, and business opportunities et al
Identifies development opportunities; follows up on development leads and contacts; participates in the
structuring and financing of projects; assures the completion of development projects.

Writes winning proposal documents, negotiate fees and rates in line with organizations’ policy

Responsible for handling business research, market surveys and feasibility studies for clients

Responsible for supervising implementation, advocate for the customer’s needs, and communicate with
clients

Develops, executes and evaluates new plans for expanding increase sales

Documents all customer contact and information

Represents the company in strategic meetings

Helps to increase sales and growth for the school

School Bursar (Accountant)

Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization

Provides managements with financial analyses, development budgets, and accounting reports; analyzes
financial feasibility for the most complex proposed projects; conducts market research to forecast
trends and business conditions.

Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis.

Performs cash management, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting for one or more
properties.

Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies

Responsible for administering payrolls

Ensures compliance with taxation legislation

Handles all financial transactions for our International Private School

Serves as internal auditor for our International Private School

Client Service Executive

Welcomes / receive parents and students by greeting them in person or on the telephone; answering or
directing inquiries.
Ensures that all contacts with parents and students (e-mail, walk-In center, SMS or phone) provides the
parents and students with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level

Through interaction with parents and students on the phone, uses every opportunity to build parent’s
interest in the schools’ products and services

Manages administrative duties assigned by the HR and Admin Manager in an effective and timely
manner

Consistently stays abreast of any new information on the organizations’ products, promotional
campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to parents and students when
they make enquiries

Receives parcels / documents for our International Private School

Distribute mails in the organization

Handles any other duties as assigned by the School Administrator.

Cleaners:

Responsible for cleaning the school facility at all times

Ensures that toiletries and supplies don’t run out of stock

Cleans both the interior and exterior of the schools facility

Handles any other duty as assigned by the school administrator

Security Officers

Ensures that the school facility is secured at all time

Controls traffic and organize parking

Gives security tips to staff members from time to time

Patrols around the building on a 24 hours basis

Submits security reports weekly

Any other duty as assigned by the school administrator

WAEC Analysis
Our International Private School engaged the services of a core professional in the area of business
consulting and structuring with bias in the education sector to assist us in building a well – structured
private school that can favorably compete in the highly competitive education cum private schools
industry in Africa.

Part of what the team of business consultant did was to work with the management of our organization
in conducting a WAEC analysis for our International Private School. Here is a summary from the result of
the WAEC analysis that was conducted on behalf of our International Private School;

Strength:

As a private school, our core strength lies in the power of our team; our workforce. We have a team
with excellent qualifications and experience in the educational sector. We are well positioned in a
community with the right demography and we know we will attract loads of students from the first day
we open our doors and welcome students for enrollment.

Weakness:

As a new private school in Nigeria, it might take some time for our organization to break into the market
and gain acceptance via reputation in the already saturated education cum private schools industry; that
is perhaps our major weakness.

Opportunities:

The opportunities in the education cum private schools industry is massive considering the number of
parents who would want their wards to perform excellently well in their education and go ahead to be
admitted in Ivy league colleges. As a standard and international private school, Our International Private
School is ready to take advantage of any opportunity that comes her way.

Threat:

Every business faces a threat or challenge at any part of the life cycle of the business. These threats can
be external or internal. This shows the importance of a business plan, because most threats or
challenges are to be anticipated and plans put in place to cushion what effect they might bring to the
private school.
Some of the threats that we are likely going to face as a private school operating in Africa are
unfavorable government policies that might affect private schools, the arrival of a competitor within our
location of operations and global economic downturn which usually affects spending / purchasing
power.

There is hardly anything we can do as regards these threats other than to be optimistic that things will
continue to work for our good.

MARKET ANALYSIS

Market Trends

The trend in the private school line of business is that the key to attracting students is the educational
performance and the pass rate of their students in national exams. Any private school that has good
records will always thrive. The demand for private schools is driven by the fact that most public cum
government owned schools cannot accommodate every students or potential students in a given
geographical location.

In some cases, students with special needs cannot cope in public schools hence the need for private
schools. The economic downturn hasn’t really affected this industry, especially in countries that believe
in the efficacy of education.

The areas you would need to spend heavily on is in ensuring that your school is up to standard, your
advertisements, and on insurance policy cover. Lastly, it is trendier to find private schools engaging in
extra – curricular activities and as a matter of fact, a private school that thrives in sports can leverage on
that to attract students who are sports inclined.

Our Target Market

As a standard and international private school, Our International Private School is going to offer varieties
of educational services within the scope of the education board in the United States of America. Our
intention of starting our private school is to soundly educate people in various subjects and of course to
make profits from the education cum private schools industry
Our target market as a private school cuts across people (students) of different class and people from
different culture background whether Igbo,Hausa,Yoruba and others. We are coming into the education
cum private schools industry with a business concept that will enable us work with the students at
different learning stages residing in and around Nigeria.

Our Competitive Advantage

Indeed the private schools industry is highly competitive and the entry barriers are high. As a matter of
fact, the private school industry is an industry in which it is pretty difficult for new entrants to establish
themselves. So also, the reputation of the private school is of utmost importance, as private schools that
have a good history of getting students into prestigious colleges often have the best reputations hence
good enrollments.

With this, it is obvious that a new entrant in to the private school industry cannot offer this. Reputation
indeed is imperative to parents’ decisions when shopping for private school for their wards. This is so
because the quality of education cannot be assessed until well after it is complete. As a major marketing
tool, schools need to show parents a track record of admission to elite colleges and universities.

We are quite aware that to be highly competitive in the education cum private schools industry means
that you should be able to deliver consistent quality service, your students should be able to experience
remarkable difference and improvement and you should be able to meet the expectations of both
students and parents alike.

Our International Private School might be a new entrant into the education cum private schools industry
in Africa, but the management staffs and owners of the private school are considered gurus. They are
people who are core professionals, licensed and highly qualified educationist / teachers at various levels
of learning in Africa. These are part of what will count as a competitive advantage for us.

Lastly, our employees (teaching and non – teaching staff members) will be well taken care of, and their
welfare package will be among the best within our category (startups private school in the Africa) in the
industry meaning that they will be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our
set goals and achieve all our business aims and objectives.

SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

We are mindful of the fact that there is stiffer competition amongst private schools in the Africa; hence
we have been able to hire some of the best marketing experts to handle our sales and marketing
concerns. Our sales and marketing team will be recruited base on their vast experience in the industry
and they will be trained on a regular basis so as to be well equipped to meet their targets and the overall
goal of the private school.

We will also ensure that our students’ excellent results from national exams and other exams speaks for
us in the market place; we want to build a standard and first – class private school that will leverage on
word of mouth advertisement from satisfied clients (both individuals and corporate organizations).

Our goal is to grow our private school to become one of the top 30 private schools in the United States
of America which is why we have mapped out strategy that will help us take advantage of the available
market and grow to become a major force to reckon with not only in Nigeria but also in other cities in
the Africa

Our International Private School is set to make use of the following marketing and sales strategies to
attract clients;

Introduce our private school by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to schools, parents /
household and key stake holders in Nigeria.

Print out fliers and business cards and strategically drop them in schools, libraries and even student
organizations.

Creating a website, allows parents to be able to look you up, and also allows you to post general study
tips, giving you an added advantage.

Use friends and family to spread word about our private school

Introduce our International Private School to learning specialists, school coaches, school administrators,
teachers, guidance counselors especially as they are with students everyday

Post information about Our International Private School on bulletin boards in places like schools,
libraries, and local coffee shops.

Placing a small or classified advertisement in the newspaper, or local publication about Our International
Private School
Using tutorial referral networks such as agencies that will help match students with Our International
Private School

Joining relevant association or body that will enable you network and meet others in same industry.

Advertising online by using an advertising platform such as Google Adwords, that will allow us place text
advertisements alongside on websites with related contents, and along results from search engines.

Advertise our private school in relevant educational magazines, newspapers, TV stations, and radio
station.

Attend relevant educational expos, seminars, and business fairs et al

Engage direct marketing approach

Encourage word of mouth marketing from loyal and satisfied clients

Sources of Income

Our International Private School is established with the aim of maximizing profits in the education cum
private schools industry and we are going to go all the way to ensure that we do all it takes to attract
students on a regular basis.

Our International Private School will generate income by offering the following tutorial services;

Teaching High school students various subjects in our private school

Teaching basic literacy and numeracy

Establishing foundations in science, mathematics, geography, history and other social sciences

Constantly working hard to meet regulatory accreditation standards

Administering private funding efforts

Providing access to extracurricular activities

Retailing of Educational Books and Materials

Sales Forecast
One thing is certain, there would always be parents and students who would need the services of
private schools to be able to achieve their educational goals and as such the services of private schools
will always be needed.

We are well positioned to take on the available market in Nigeria and we are quite optimistic that we
will meet our set target of generating enough income / profits from the first six month of operations and
grow the private school and our student base.

We have been able to critically examine the private schools cum education market in the Africa and we
have analyzed our chances in the industry and we have been able to come up with the following sales
forecast.

The sales projection is based on information gathered on the field and some assumptions that are
peculiar to similar startups in Nigeria. Below is the sales projection for Our International Private School,
it is based on the location of our tutorial center and of course the wide range of tutorial services that we
will be offering;

First Fiscal Year-: #900000000

Second Fiscal Year-: #162000000

Third Fiscal Year-: #270000000

N.B: This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that
there won’t be any major economic meltdown and natural disasters within the period stated above. So,
there won’t be any major competitor (private school) offering same additional services as we do within
same location. Please note that the above projection might be lower and at the same time it might be
higher.

Our Pricing Strategy

Private schools in Nigeria and of course in all the parts of the world charge students per tem / per
session and students have the options of either paying their tuitions before resumption or during the
school session.
Private schools generally charge students based on loads of factors, locations, services offerings and
extra – curricular activities at our International Private School we will keep our fees below the average
market rate for all of our students by keeping our overhead low and by collecting payment in advance.

In addition, we will also offer special discounted rates to all our students at regular intervals. We are
aware that there are some students that would need special assistance, we will offer flat rate for such
services that will be tailored to take care of such students’ needs.

Payment Options

At Our International Private School, our payment policy will be all inclusive because we are quite aware
that different people prefer different payment options as it suits them. Here are the payment options
that we will make available to our clients;

Payment by via bank transfer

Payment via online bank transfer

Payment via check

Payment via bank draft

Payment via mobile money

Payment with cash

In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will help us achieve our plans with little or
no itches.

Publicity and Advertising Strategy

We are aware of the potency of a good publicity strategy hence we have been able to work with our
brand and publicity consultants to help us map out publicity and advertising strategies that will help us
walk our way into the heart of our target market.

We are set to become the number one choice for both parents and students in the whole of Nigeria
which is why we have made provisions for effective publicity and advertisement of our private school.
Below are the platforms we intend to leverage on to promote and advertise Our International Private
School;

Place adverts on both print (community based newspapers and magazines) and electronic media
platforms

Sponsor relevant community based events / programs

Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook , twitter, YouTube,
Google + et al to promote our brand

Install our Bill Boards on strategic locations all around

Engage in road show from time to time in targeted neighborhoods

Distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas in and around Africa

Passing general information via our school’s social media handles like twitter, Facebook, Google
hangouts etc.

Ensure that all our teaching and non – teaching staff members wear our branded shirts and all our
vehicles are well branded with our schools’ logo et al.

Financial Projections and Costing

In setting up a private school business, the amount or cost will depend on the approach and scale you
want to undertake. If you intend to go big by acquiring a large facility, then you would need a higher
amount of capital as you would need to ensure that your employees are taken care of, and that your
private school’s environment is conducive enough for the students to learn.

This means that the start-up can either be low or high depending on your goals, vision and aspirations
for your business. The materials and equipment that will be used are nearly the same cost everywhere,
and any difference in prices would be minimal and can be overlooked.

As for the detailed cost analysis for starting a private school business; it might differ in other countries
due to the value of their money. However, this is what it would cost us to start Our International Private
School in Nigeria;

Business incorporating fees in Nigeria will cost – #270000

The budget for Liability insurance, permits and license will cost – #126,0000

Acquiring a large facility that will accommodate the number of block of closes, playing field, staff offices
and parking lots et al (Re – Construction of the facility inclusive) will cost – #126000000.

Equipping the classes and office (computers, printers, projectors, markers, pens and pencils, furniture,
telephones, filing cabinets, and electronics) will cost – #18000000

Launching an official Website will cost – #180,000

The budget for the payment of salaries for the first three months of operations: #43200000

Additional Expenditure such as Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions will cost – #540,0000

Going by the market survey and feasibility studies conducted, we came to the conclusion that we will
need an average of #2700,000,00 to start a small scale but standard private school in the Nigeria.

Generating Funding / Startup Capital for our International Private School

Our International Private School is a family business that will be owned and managed by myself (I am
the sole financial of the private school which is why they decided to restrict the sourcing of the start –
up capital for the private school to just three major sources.

These are the areas we intend generating our start – up capital;

Generate part of the start – up capital from personal savings and sale of his stocks

Generate part of the start – up capital from friends and other extended family members

Generate a larger chunk of the startup capital from the bank (loan facility).

BUSINESS GROWTH: Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

It is a known fact that the future of any business lies in the numbers of loyal customers that they have,
the capacity and competence of the employees, their investment strategy and of course the business
structure. If all of these factors are missing from a business (company), then it won’t be too long before
the business close shop.
One of our major goals of starting International Private School is to build a business that will survive off
its own cash flow without the need for injecting finance from external sources once the business is
officially running.

We know that one of the ways of gaining approval and winning customers (students and parents alike)
over is to ensure that we offer nothing less than the best, to offer quality education to all our students
so much so that they can favorably compete with students all over the United States and gain admission
to Ivy League colleges.

Our International Private School will make sure that the right foundation, structures and processes are
put in place to ensure that our staff welfare are well taken of. Our company’s corporate culture is
designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and re – training of our workforce is at the
top burner of our business strategy.

As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our management staff and it
will be based on their performance for a period of three years or more as determined by the board of
the organization. We know that if that is put in place, we will be able to successfully hire and retain the
best hands we can get in the industry; they will be more committed to help us build the business of our
dreams.