Episode 1: A Lifetime Opportunity!
By Adebare Egunjobi
OUTLINE
Introduction
Invitation
(A lifetime opportunity!)
Presentation
(WWH vs WWP)
Realization
(Three levels behind!)
Conclusion
(Tomorrow is another day)
THE INVITATION:
A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY
Mr Okonta and three other school owners in the country were invited to an Elite Parents Fair to come and market their schools to highly placed individuals in the country: captains of industries, top bankers, diplomats, political office holders, topmost professionals in the corporate world and very high net worth pillars in the country.
It was a lifetime opportunity for Mr Okonta to showcase his school to the creme-de-la-creme of the society and he was not going to allow this golden opportunity to pass him by.
Armed with a most impressive PowerPoint Presentation about his school, Mr Okonta was convinced that no parent in that hall will be able to resist his strong marketing appeal and they won’t have any choice than to consider his school for patronage. To him, this is the height of marketing!
THE PRESENTATIONS
(WWH vs WWP)
Each of them was given 5 minutes to convince the audience on what makes their schools to be the best choice for their prospective customers.
Mr Okonta was the first in line, and he didn’t disappoint himself
MR OKONTA’S PRESENTATION
With very convincing slides, real life images and catchy captions, Mr Okonta held the audience spell bound as he reeled out the state of art facilities that adorn his school: the well equipped laboratories, the newly renovated studios, the well decorated and well ventilated classrooms, the beautiful sports ground, the interactive boards in the classrooms, the lush green landscape with adorable flowers and
a set of competent members of staff. By the time, he was done, loud ovation rented the air.
Mr Okonta was grinning from ear and ear as he went back to take his seat. He could hear a chatty woman who sat behind him telling her husband, “with these facilities, I think this is the school we are going for”
The husband did not respond, he was only making notes in his jotter.
Mr Okonta was super excited!
THE SECOND PRESENTATION
Then came the second school owner.
He started off by appreciating Mr Okonta for having such beautiful facilities in his school. He then turned to the audience and made an announcement that would change the tone of discussion for the day, and that would change the world of Mr Okonta forever.
“In our school, we have moved from the level of WHAT WE HAVE (WWH) to the level of WHAT WE PRODUCE (WWP). Since your desire is about what becomes of your children if they attend our school, I will show you what we have made out of our students so far”
The whole hall was silent as he clicked on the screen. A list of students attending different universities of repute in Nigeria and abroad popped up.
With their pictures and their full names beautifully and conspicuously displayed, he spent the next five minutes rolling out the names of different universities, the courses, the levels and other information about his school alumni.
“If passing with the best grade and eventually gaining admission to study the best courses in the best universities in Nigeria and beyond is your dream for your child, then WHAT WE HAVE PRODUCED so far is our proof. Your child cannot get less!” He concluded as he left for his seat.
The audience roared with thunderous clapping.
Mr Okonta could hear the chatty woman behind telling her husband again, “This makes a lot of sense, I think we should switch to this second school honey, I can’t wait to see Junior also enter into one of those universities”
The husband didn’t respond, rather he continued with his note making…
Mr Okonta was getting uncomfortable
THE THIRD PRESENTATION
The third school owner came up and built on the foundation laid by the second Presenter. “Like my previous colleague, our strength lies on WHAT WE ARE CAPABLE TO PRODUCE out of our students” he said proudly. And with this, he rolled out his Presentation: list of their students who have won scholarships into many elite American and European universities with full tuition-free concessions. Mouths were opened in awe as the audience saw and heard how much scholarship the students from this school won ranging from $15,000 per session to $22,000 per session, some even included flight ticket concessions as well!
“There is no session in our school when we have less than 30 students on these amazing scholarships in the last 5 years! We save our parents an average of N100m in tuition to send their children to the best universities around the world. Your own child will not be an exception if you give us a chance” he concluded as he left the podium.
The ovation was so loud that the moderator had a tough time calming the crowd down. The chatty woman behind Mr Okonta would not keep quiet “honey, 30 full scholarships running to N100m every year! Whatever we pay as school fees will be worth the investment in this school, Junior just found a school!” she said excitedly like a young child at the sight of chocolates.
The husband continued his writing..
Mr Okonta became uneasy.
THE FOURTH PRESENTATION
“Good day Ladies and Gentlemen” The fourth school owner said as he collected the microphone from the Moderator.
“I want to build on the foundation laid by our second presenter, we have also moved from WHAT WE HAVE, our emphasis now is on WHAT WE PRODUCE”
Mr Okonta frowned.
“But what exactly do we produce?” The fourth Presenter continued as he pointed his clicker to the screen revealing several young men and women in suits and corporate wears,
“We produce the fulfilment of your dreams and aspirations for your child!” He paused.
The silence was palpable in the hall. The attention was rapt. Everywhere became so quiet. Satisfied with the suspense which he has created, he continued:
“We know your dream for your child ultimately and that is exactly what we are giving you: 5 of our former students are currently working with Starbucks, 7 are working with Walmart, 10 are with ExxonMobil. We have 15 students working with Hewlett Packard, Apple and Amazon. 3 of our students are currently working with Huawei while 5 are with Berkshire Hathaway!” As he mentions the companies, he kept backing them up with the images of the students, their years of graduation and their disciplines. Not done yet, he continued
“We have our students working with Nestle, Reckit Beckister, Samsung, KPMG and other leading multinationals around the world”
There was pin drop silence in the hall.
“In our school, we know what employers are looking for in the 21st Century and that is what we packaged in our curriculum. No child can pass through our school, I repeat, no child, can pass through our school and be stranded in the elite labour market. It has NEVER (with deliberate emphasis on the word ‘never’) happened with any of our students before, and it will not and cannot start with your own child”
There was a momentary silence for like 30 seconds and as if choreographed by one invisible force, the whole audience broke the silence almost simultaneously and there was a loud eruption! It was a rapturous ovation. The roof almost caved in. The moderator did not try to control the audience this time around. “What else are waiting for?” The chatty woman asked her quiet husband enthusiastically, albeit rhetorically.
Mr Okonta became downcast
Electronic poll was taken real time, the result was displayed on the large LED screen in the hall: 95% of the elite parents favoured the fourth school. 3% favoured the third school. 2% favoured the second school. Nobody clicked on the green side of Mr Okonta’s school.
Mr Okonta was devastated. He could feel beads of sweat forming on his brow in spite of the chilling air conditioner in the hall.
THE REALIZATION:
THREE LEVELS BEHIND!
He looked at all his flyers with pictures of school buildings and school buses, ICT labs and Science Labs, Studios and classrooms, etc
He shook his head in self pity, tucked his flyers inside his suitcase and muttered to himself “School Marketing has moved three levels ahead of me, and I did not even know when”
CONCLUSION:
TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY
The chatty woman and her husband walked over to Mr Okonta as he drifted towards his car.
“Mr Okonta, well done” she said in her characteristic chatty manner “Why dont you get in touch with the fourth Presenter? He might show you some modern trends in school marketing that you need to know” genuine concern slightly garnished with pity was crystal clear in her tone.
Before Mr Okonta could respond however, her husband cut in,
“Don’t talk to a fellow school owner on this, it might not work that way, talk to his consultant and trainer instead. Whatever soup the parents are looking for, he will give you the recipe”
The man tore a sheet of paper from his neat diary and scribbled a phone number there
“Here is his number:+2347030702497
He will put you through. He has put many people through including that fourth Presenter and yours will not be an exception. In case he doesn’t pick your call however, (he hardly picks calls anyway), then call his Communications Manager on +2348039547006. She will arrange a meeting with him for you. I wish you a better presentation next time”
The man left in company of his wife.
Mr Okonta entered his car and closed the door gently. He heaved a sigh relief as he brought out paper which the man gave him. He looked at the two phone numbers on the paper and talked to himself with a renewed hope: “Okonta, you have always been a fighter and a survivor. Today is just not your day. Tomorrow is another day”
He turned on the ignition as he meandered his car skillfully and resolutely out of the parking lot, in his rear mirror, he could still see the fourth Presenter being surrounded by people swarming around him like bees, sharing flyers, exchanging cards, and grinning from ear.
“Today is your day. Enjoy it while it lasts. Tomorrow is another day”
Okonta drove out of the venue…
INTROSPECTION AND DIGESTION
Who is like Mr Okonta in today’s class? What was running through your mind as you read today’s article? Share your thoughts and lessons
The Adventures of Mr Okonta
Episode 2: Accidental School Administrator!
Adebare Egunjobi
August 2024
Mr Okonta eventually got an opportunity to meet the Coach after the uneventful outing at the Elite Parents Meet. It took him sometime but he later got an appointment and he went with only one question in his mind:
“Coach! Why am I not getting many things right in my school?” Mr Okonta genuinely asked the Coach after the initial exchange of pleasantries
“There are two dimensions for any business breakthrough Mr Okonta. The prayer dimension and the knowledge dimension. I guess you focus only on prayer dimension with very little of knowledge dimension” The Coach calmly explained.
Of a truth, Mr Okonta has always been awed by what he described as the ‘prophetic precision’ with which the Coach often addresses him whenever they engage on his school business matters.
“You are right Coach. I do more of more prayers than getting knowledge about this business” Mr Okonta confessed
“Yes, prayer is good and is working so much for you but it should not be the only factor, otherwise you would be like a bird that flies on only one wing” The Coach continued
“You particularly need more knowledge in this business because you are an accidental school administrator” the Coach dropped the bombshell
“Accidental school administrator?” Mr Okonta quizzed, puzzled and hurt at the same time but trying as much as possible to hide it
“I am sure that you didn’t like the description” the Coach asked with his wry smiles
“Well, it depends on what you mean” Mr Okonta said defensively without trying to appear defiant
The Coach continued unabashedly
“I mean you weren’t initially trained to be a school administrator, you and many of your colleagues find yourselves in this business by what I called accidents of history. It wasn’t what you set out to become or trained for ab initio. I don’t mean to disrespect you but if we don’t get this aspect well cleared, we might not make progress in today’s session”
Mr Okonta paused and thought hard. Though he may not like the name but the description is apt.
He can vividly remember how he and about eight of his fellow Proprietors in his group started their different schools in the past – Accidents of history indeed!
The first member of their group was suddenly laid off from his banking job about 15 years ago and due to his passion for children, he decided to use his disengagement benefits to start the school.
The second member of their group just relocated to town many years ago and was looking for a good school for his children, when he couldn’t find any that matched his taste, he decided to start one for his children at home and that was how it snowballed into a school.
The third member of their group was working in a private school until he fell out with his boss. He resigned from the school out of frustration and decided to start his own school
The fourth member was given an inheritance of a building by his late parents and out of what to do with the asset commercially, he was advised to convert it to a school which he did and that was how he became a school owner.
The fifth member of their group moved to their new site and was confronted with the twin challenges of transport fare to town on a daily basis and lack of good school in the new area. He started a school in their premises and today it has become a full blown school.
The sixth member of the group finished her maternity leave and couldn’t get a good creche for her baby. Not comfortable with dropping her baby anywhere at that early age, she resigned her job and decided to start a creche. That creche has become a group of Nursery, Primary and School today.
For the last member of their group, it was pure joblessness and financial pressure that led him to become a school Proprietor. Having dropped letters upon letters of applications for job in different companies and organisations across different sectors and industries without a success, he resigned to fate and started home lessons for the students in the neighborhood. It was the home lessons that graduated into extramural classes which has today become a full blown school!
With deep introspection, Mr Okonta discovered that neither he nor any member of his group actually set out to become a school owner from the beginning. They found themselves here through different routes of accidents of history in the words of the Coach.
“You are right Coach” Mr Okonta finally admitted “Many of us truly accidentally found ourselves in this business for different reasons. But the public school administrators are not accidental school administrators, they are intentionally trained for their own roles unlike many of us in the private school system, right?” He asked, seeking corroboration from the Coach
“That’s not true Mr Okonta” The Coach calmly disagreed “they are also accidental school administrators” he said smiling
“How?” Mr Okonta was obviously confused
Sensing his confusion, the Coach clarified further
“Many of the public school administrators out there were intentionally trained as teachers, not as school administrators. They trained as teachers and practiced as teachers and after putting in quite a number of years in the classroom, they were promoted to the post of Vice Principals and then to Principals. They weren’t trained for these roles Mr Okonta. They became school administrators as a result of their training and experience as classroom teachers and not as a result of any formal training in school administration”
“Hmmm, so they are also accidental school administrators” Mr Okonta asked almost rhetorically. He has never seen it from this light before. This Coach is deep, he thought to himself
“Yes they are” the Coach replied confidently
“So what’s the way out?” Mr Okonta cannot wait for reply
“The only way out is to transit from an accidental school administrator to an intentionally trained school administrator. Running any venture without being properly trained for it will bring about a lot of copycatism, trial and error and experimental practices. This process prolongs breakthroughs and the success comes with a lot of avoidable wounds and injuries. So, Mr Okonta, you need to transit to an intentionally trained school administrator” the Coach challenged him
“Hmnnnnnn, but I already had my PGDE and currently running my Masters degree” Mr Okonta countered
“I guess those courses are in Education right?” The Coach asked without sharing the same excitement with which Mr Okonta made the announcement
“Where else will they be?” Mr Okonta asked, half defiant, half curious
“But you are not just an Educationist”
“Then who am I Coach?” Mr Okonta said, slightly raising his voice. It is apparent that Mr Okonta was bracing up for a confrontation with the Coach. After 15 years of growing a school and PGDE and Masters in view, he will not open his eyes and let anyone rubbish his claim to being an Educationist without a fight!
“If I am not an Educationist, who am I Coach?” He repeated
“You are a combination of an Educationist and a businessman. Having training in Education without training in Business is like flying on only one wing of knowledge which is what you have been doing for the past 15 years! A Proprietor wears two caps: the cap of an educationist and that of a businessman. Unfortunately, many of our training institutions do not cater for the business angle. What you need is not just Educational Management, what you need is School Business – that one will combine the two dimensions of knowledge which you badly need”
Mr Okonta’s guard dropped. He always finds it difficult to fault this man. Though he appears quite younger and unassuming, but his depth of the education industry is legendary. How come I am just meeting him? Mr Okonta was thinking to himself.
The Coach continued as if reading his mind
“You know about Curriculum Management but you lack knowledge of Human Resources Management. You mastered Instructional Materials Management but you lacked the knowledge of Financial Management. You know so much about Classroom Management but know next to nothing about Brand Management. You have a slight idea about Student Academic Performance Management but you lack competence in Legal Management. You learnt about Teaching Methodologies but had no training in School Marketing Techniques. With this incomplete knowledge, tell me how you want to navigate your way through the stormy waters of school business?”
A brief silence followed. Mr Okonta was deep in thought. This is a journey of self discovery for him. It was as if a scale that has covered his face for years has just dropped off. How can any business thrive and last without this basic knowledge? How?
“Hmmmnn. This is why my school business is crawling my Coach. Trial and error approach, copycatism, experimental policies, success with avoidable wounds and injuries. You just described me Coach. I wish I had packaged this training in business together with my training in Education since I started about 15 years ago. With all my efforts in building educational standards for my school, my deficiency in business knowledge is already playing out: my marketing style is failing, my brand is not competitive, my school fees are trapped out there, my teachers are not giving me their best, my figures are not adding up. I am truly good in Education but deficient in Business” Mr Okonta laid his mind bare, quite painfully. It’s been a long time he had someone to really strip himself naked for like this. Everyone out there hails him as one of the best school Proprietors in town, only he knows where the shoe pinches, and this Coach seems to know too. He is the only one who has ever addressed him quite bluntly and unequivocally like this regarding his ‘thriving’ school business. Mr Okonta was sober.
“It’s Ok. Better late than never” The Coach cheered him up with disarming smile, deliberately dousing the tension that was already building up
“So where do I start from now Coach?” Mr Okonta asked with determination to raise the bar of his game like never before.
“Go get three layers of knowledge in School Business that will put you completely on top of your game as a school business owner Mr Okonta” The Coach told him very affirmatively
“Three layers of knowledge?”
“Yes” The Coach answered
At this juncture, Mr Okonta brought out his jotter and pen like a school boy, ready to write as voraciously as he possibly can
“Number 1?” He asked without even looking up, pen set on paper
” Number one is Educational Knowledge. Knowledge in Class Management, Instructional Materials Management, Curriculum Management, Academic Performance Management, School Records Management, and other courses in Educational Management. I know you already got that so let’s move to the next”
“Ok. Number 2?” Mr Okonta asked as he kept writing.
“The second layer is Business knowledge. Knowledge in Financial Management, Human Resources Management, Brand Management, Legal Management, Business Development Management, Marketing Management, Portfolio Management, Investment Management, Conflict Resolution Management, Customers Relationship Management, Facility Management, etc
“Hmnnnnnn…. And Number 3?”
Knowledge in Trends: Emerging Trends, Evolving Trends, Contemporary Trends, Current Trends and Future Trends. Any school owner who does not master three three layers of knowledge will soon be overtaken and left behind in 21st Century school business Mr Okonta. Remember that if you don’t get the training, others will!”
“And they will use it against me in the competitive field out there. The reason I lost have of my student population to competition. The reason I lost such a huge opportunity at Elite Parents Meet. If I don’t get the training, others will…” Mr Okonta repeated the lines, nodding his head
“My last question Coach?”
“Please go ahead Mr Okonta”
I have spent 15 years and I have not seen school business explained like this. All I know is Educational Management and Administration. Please where do I get these three layers of knowledge in one single capsule Coach?
“Go and enrol in International College of School Administration ICSA this holiday and get yourself equipped for the coming session. That is the only place that I know for now where all the three layers of knowledge are combined in their curriculum. It is the new hub of training for leading school owners and administrators in Africa today and I will be waiting for you there as the Lead Facilitator of many of the courses in ICSA”
Mr Okonta rose up, shook the Coach’s hands warmly and firmly. He packed his jotter carefully and held it close to his chest
“I will meet you in class then Coach” He said with bulldog tenacity of purpose
“Hopefully so!”
INTROSPECTION AND DIGESTION
Share your thoughts on this dialogue between Mr Okonta and the Coach on accidental school administrators
The Adventures of Mr Okonta
Episode 3: I Dare You To Leave Your School For Two Months If You Can…
Adebare Egunjobi
INTRODUCTION
Mr Okonta was sick. He needed to go for medical treatment outside the country. It was a confidential trip known only to members of his family. He handed over to his School Administrator. WhatsApp doesn’t work in the country he went to and the medical procedures did not support receiving calls. He would be away for two months and would be incommunicado for that long.
BOLA AND BENSON
Bola and Benson are both SS3 students in Mr Okonta’s school. They were caught exchanging love letters. The School Administrator handed them 2 weeks suspension each!
The parents weren’t comfortable with the decision
“This is just a love letter – who didn’t do this in secondary school? So what if they were caught kissing or something?” One of the parents queried.
Believing that the sanction far outweighs the offence and moreso the children claimed that there have been similar cases in the past with less stringent sanctions, the parent withdrew his four children from the school!
MRS OBANOR
Mrs Obanor paid the school fees of her three children within the first week of resumption. By the fourth week however, the relocation plan for her first child worked out and that made her to demand for the refund of the child’s fees.
The Vice Principal was of the opinion that four weeks equivalent be calculated and the remaining balance refunded to her. But the
School Administrator thought otherwise. Parents can come up with funny calculations of refund henceforth which will be too complicated. He thus ruled on no refund. Mrs Obanor got angry and withdrew all the three children from the school.
MOHAMMED ALI
Ali is a new student in the school. He was given an ultimatum to get the school uniform but he defaulted. About three weeks after his resumption, he came to school in the uniform of his former school. The School Administrator felt this is not right. “This has grave legal implications for our school and after repeated warnings, I have no choice than to send him out of the school” That was how Ali was sent out of the school. This did not go well with Ali’s parents. Ali never returned to the school again.
UNCLE TADE AND AUNTY IDAH
They are both teachers in Mr Okonta’s school. Uncle Tade was teaching Biology while Aunty Idah was teaching Food and Nutrition. They started dating each other in the school for some time after which they decided to take the game to a higher level to get married. Their invitation card came out and Uncle Tade went with all excitement to the School Administrator’s office to present one to him. The invitation was received with mixed reactions “while I am happy that you are getting married Uncle Tade, I am sorry to inform you that the two of you cannot get married in the same establishment. The distractions will affect your official responsibilities. So the two of you should please resign before the wedding date. You can reapply later if you so wish”
This was an insult to Uncle Tade who would be clocking 10 years in the school that Summer.
It first looked like a joke carried too far, but when at the end of the month they refused to resign, the School Administrator wasted no time, they were sacked!
LINDA
Linda was pregnant. She was an SS3 student in Mr Okonta’s school. She was getting ready to write her WASSCE.
She was four months pregnant and the tummy has started bulging out. It was an embarrassing situation for the parents but they chose to take it in good fate. They appealed to the School Administrator to allow the girl to write the final examination but the School Administrator declined completely. Linda couldn’t write the exam. That would set a bad precedent for other students in the nearest future and would be a bad commentary on the moral posture of the school.
Out of anger, the parents withdrew their two other children from the school.
HAJIA MEMUNAT
Hajia Menunat insisted that her two girls be allowed to wear Hijab as part of their fundamental human right as enshrined in the constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria and as interpreted and declared by the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The School Administrator allowed her for the first three weeks of resumption and Hajia Menunat settled well for the school. Some Christian parents started mounting pressure on the School Administrator and by the end of the fourth week, he announced on the assembly ground that hijab was no longer allowed in the school. Hajia Menunat felt deceived and angrily took her two children away.
DEMON OF VIOLENCE
It was as if the demon of violence was unleashed in the school on this particular day. Two boys in the Primary School fought each other, no wound was recorded. Two boys in the Junior Secondary School also fought seriously, there were wounds and injuries but no blood was shed.
Another set of two boys fought violently in the Senior Secondary School, there was a trace of blood on their shirts. They were all brought to the School Administrator’s office. Expecting different measures of sanctions for each set, the teachers and all the students were surprised when the overwhelmed School Administrator announced his decision: all the six students were expelled.
UNCLE TOM
The School Administrator decided to conduct a Refresher Examination for all the teachers who were preparing students for external examinations in the school. Though many teachers resisted this idea but he insisted. Uncle Tom, one of the good teachers in the school scored 49.5%. The cut off mark was 50%. The School Administrator gave him two options: have your salary slashed by half or reapply.
Neither of the two options sat well with Uncle Tom and the School Administrator threatened him with an outright sack. The other teachers rose in solidarity with him and all of them threatened mass resignation if the School Administrator did not change his position.
MR OKONTA’S RETURN
It was at the height of this brouhaha that Mr Okonta returned to the school.
He reversed the decision of the School Administrator.
The School Administrator got really infuriated. “How would a teacher preparing students to write WAEC Examination in Economics not be able to score C6 in Economics and such a teacher be retained?” The School Administrator challenged Mr Okonta.
“And how can we risk losing all our teachers at a go like this?!” Mr Okonta countered
“They won’t go anywhere. At least not all of them. It was just a threat, it was just a test of our will to see whether we would uphold our standard or not” The School Administrator tried to explain.
After a lot of back and forth, Mr Okonta maintained his position to reverse the decision and the School Administrator angrily resigned.
He started his own school a few months later on the advice of some parents and got a sizable number of those sympathizing parents and even some teachers from Mr Okonta’s school to join him.
Mr Okonta was devastated
ASK YOUR COACH
Mr Okonta regretted losing the School Administrator. In his heart of hearts, he knew that the School Administrator meant well and had a good mind to uphold the standard for his school, but he could really be high-handed and overboard many times.
At this juncture, Mr Okonta remembered his presentation at the Elite Parents Meet. He remembered the chatty woman and her husband. He remembered the paper the man gave him and the phone numbers written on it. He decided to call the Manager. He badly needed a physical meeting with the Coach this time around, not an online engagement. He was ready to pay any sacrifice required to get to the Coach’s office.
He had questions that he believed the Coach will have answers for.
AM I WRONG?
Mr Okonta explained to the Coach all that transpired in his absence and rounded off his tragedy with the questions that kept bothering his heart:
1. Am I wrong to have left the school when I did?
2. Am I wrong to have delegated the power to him?
3. Am I wrong to have reversed his decision?
4. Am I wrong to have allowed him to leave the school?
5. Am I wrong?
YOU WERE NOT WRONG
The Coach sympathized with Mr Okonta and answered his questions one after the other.
1. You were not wrong to have travelled. You won’t be around in your school forever
2. You were not wrong to have delegated power to the next in line. No system can exist in a vacuum
3. You were not wrong to have reversed the decision. You have the final say in your school and the buck stops on your table. You should never be bullied or blackmailed to take any decision by your subordinate which you are not comfortable with. Else, your hands may be tied forever by the same people that you employ.
4. You are not wrong to let him go. You didn’t sack him. He resigned. Since you are not ready to concede to his conditions, the best decision is to let him go
YOU ARE WRONG
“But to the last question,
5. YOU ARE WRONG!” The Coach changed the gear suddenly
“How and where” Mr Okonta asked, puzzled.
“You are wrong not to have any policy documents with which you run your school Mr Okonta”
“But we have students handbook and staff handbook” Mr Okonta argued faintly
“Fine. But those books are not comprehensive enough to capture all the scenarios that happened in your school while you were away”
“And any book would have captured all that?” Mr Okonta asked, almost laughing cynically, puzzled and bemused at the same time
“Yes. A school policy document would have! It is more detailed, it is more comprehensive and it covers almost all areas of school life and community that you can ever think of. It’s scope is far broader than Students and Staff Handbooks”
“Really?” Mr Okonta was getting more seriously interested
“That is where all the policies guiding the governance and operations of a school are warehoused” The Coach continued in his usual unassuming style
“All the scenarios that happened in your absence would have been perfectly covered in the policy document and the School Administrator and the entire community would have known what to do without any sentiment!”
“Is there any document like that in reality Coach?
The Coach laughed, surprised that Mr Okonta could ever ask such a question after his years of experience as a school owner!
“Of course there is, Mr Okonta!” The Coach said solemnly, ready to tutor him now like a Kindergarten in Policy Management “It is called School Policy Book or a School Policy Document and it contains over 100 policies which you can adapt to your own taste!”
“Unbelievable! 100 policies!” Mr Okonta exclaimed “How come I have not heard or come across any in my 15 years of running a school Coach?” Mr Okonta was almost shouting at this stage
MSDI
“I am equally surprised Mr Okonta and I should be the one asking you that question. It simply means that you have been taking decisions in your school based on MSDI for the past 15 years!”
“Which one is MSDI again?” Mr Okonta quizzed
“It is the basis of taking decision in any organization where there is no guiding policy” the Coach replied as calmly as he could “It is called Mood, Sentiment, Discretion and Initiatives. It simply means that you have been running your school based on your mood, your sentiments, your discretion and your initiatives for the past 15 years Mr Okonta. While discretion and initiatives are necessary tools for an entrepreneur, they are not sufficient enough to run a lasting and sustainable business”
“Hmnnnnn” Mr Okonta was at a loss of words
“If you had been around what would have been different between your decisions and school administrator’s decisions? The Coach asked rhetorically “The difference would have been largely your sentiments and your mood coupled with your discretion. And it wouldn’t have been uniform. Even you cannot say that this is exactly what you would have done. Without a policy document in an organization, the decision compass is lost and decisions are taken haphazardly”
“Hmnnnnnn” Mr Okonta couldn’t form any words again.
How come this Coach always speaks to his head and heart all the time like this
A MINI CONSTITUTION
“If you had a comprehensive school policy book, your School Fees Refund Policy would have taken care of Mrs Obanor’s case, your Staff Relationship Policy would have taken care of Uncle Tade and Aunty Idah’s case, your Teachers Assessment and Evaluation Policy would have taken care of Uncle Tom’s case, your Sex Related Behaviors Policy would have taken care of Linda and Bolade and Benson’s cases, your Students’ Deviant Behaviours Policy would have taken care of the fighting scenario, while your School Uniform Policy would have taken care of Ali’s and Hajia Menunat’s cases. In that case, all the parents, teachers and parents would have known what the school policy says about each case and what the sanctions should be. No one would have been hurt or felt unjustly treated”
“So the policy book is like a mini constitution of a school then?” Mr Okonta chipped in, amused by the discovery
“Exactly” The Coach replied, glad that Mr Okonta was getting the point “It is a constitution of your school that will be made available to every parent, teacher and student at the point of entry into your school. And there are over 100 of such policies that would have taken care of different foreseen and unforeseen scenarios. So, if you have had such a policy document in place before now, everyone would have known what to do, whether you were around or not!”
MENTAL EXHAUSTION, OPERATIONAL EXTINCTION
“Wonderful! I am one of the biggest and oldest school owners in this community, I am still surprised that I have not heard or come across any, Coach” Mr Okonta repeated
“That is why many school owners struggle so much and carry so much mental pressure. Decision making is tough and is the live wire of any organization. When all the decisions of an organization are tied around an individual person’s discretion and initiatives, he is at risk of mental exhaustion and the organization is at the verge of operational extinction when he is no longer available. That is why many school schools don’t survive the founders and those that do, don’t surpass!”
WHAT ELDERS USE TO EAT…
“So, some schools really have policy documents with over 100 policies in it, in reality in this country Coach?” Mr Okonta kept repeating the same question
“Yes, there are. But they are very few. What the elders used to eat pap, is usually hidden under the leaves” The Coach replied laughing before he continued “That is the difference between big schools and small schools, not necessarily in age or size!”
“Hmmmmn”
“This is the difference between education in the developed countries and in our clime. Over there where every school has standard infrastructural and curricular facilities, the only tool of differentiation to market a school is the peculiarity and contents of their policies as contained in their policy documents”
“Coach, do you have a copy of this book?” Mr Okonta asked almost impatiently
“Yes of course! That’s part of what we do for our clients – what we put under the leaves of the elders to eat pap” The Coach chuckled
“Please let me have a look” Mr Okonta pleaded like a child pleading for ice cream
The Coach drew out one of his drawers and brought out a bulky spiral binded document.
Mr Okonta jumped at it like a monkey jumping at a banana and started flipping through as if he was going to write an examination on the book the next minute. Excitement, curiosity, awe – all written over his face as he skimmed through the over 400-page voluminous document.
I DARE YOU TO LEAVE YOUR SCHOOL FOR TWO MONTHS, IF YOU CAN!
Mr Okonta was busy looking at the blue covered document on the table. Different thoughts flashing through his mind. This is why many school owners get drained physically, mentally and emotionally. This is why many school administrators hold the school owners to ransom. This is why accusations of partiality and injustice scatter schools. This is why many schools crash the moment the school owner is no more. This is why ‘Oyibo’ people always get it better than us, this is why many school owners cannot leave their schools for two months without recording loss and I dare any school owner to leave his school for 2 months if he can, without this document! This is why…
“Mr Okonta!” The Coach snapped him out of his dream world. “Are you still here?”
Mr Okonta jerked back to life.
“This is another journey of discovery for me Coach. You always take me on several discovery journeys each time I encounter you that I am beginning to wonder if this would ever end!”
“So what have you discovered today Mr Okonta?”
“I have discovered what the elders are using to eat pap under their leaves” They both laughed
CONCLUSION
Mr Okonta later got the template policy book from the Coach.
He purchased the premium copy (there was a basic copy and a premium copy)
He returned to his school, raised a policy formulation team and started adjusting and adapting the template document towards building his own policy document.
A functional school system is possible which will run on almost auto-pilot if a strong, professional, technical, comprehensive, robust and detailed policy document is in place.
What you know, you know.
What you don’t know, you don’t know.
You are what you know!
What elders use to eat pap…
INTROSPECTION AND DIGESTION
Share your thoughts and lessons from today’s lecture and what stand out for you from Mr Okonta’s issues