Entrepreneurs train school owners in finance management

School owners and education industry experts have called on organisations and entrepreneurs in the education sector to invest in education.

A  seminar titled, ‘Understanding and Unlocking Opportunities in the Education Market,’ held in Lagos State, featured industry experts, and seasoned school owners who shared their expertise and experiences in the education business.

Speaking on the purpose of the seminar, the Principal Consultant, Edumark Consult, Yinka Ogunde, said, “The whole purpose of this is to help organisations that are developing products and services for the education sector to do a better job. You can see that there are so many things within the sector that they need to know about.

“We have put up this kind of programme so that they will develop products that are targeted towards the needs of the education sector, which we believe will bring an improvement in our education and learning in the entire system. It is all about getting it right in the education sector, for the betterment of the Nigerian child.”

Also, the Chief Executive Officer of Resource Intermediaries, Soji Oyawoye, shared marketing insights, on how to grow a business, and how to turn problems into opportunities.

According to him, “A business is a solution to a problem. Which customer has the problem I can solve? After getting a customer, you keep them, you grow by keeping the customers you have gotten, it is when you keep customers that you make a profit.”

Speaking on the ‘Expectations from companies designing and providing services and products for the Education sector, the CEO of Hope International Schools, Tolu Sodimu, added that the sector offered untapped benefits for companies willing to solve the problems schools faced.

She said, “The education sector holds immense opportunities for Innovation and work, it is essential for businesses and organisations to recognise and capitalise on these opportunities, to thrive in this market you must first recognise the pros and challenges facing the sector,” Sodimu added.

The School Director, Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, emphasised the importance of customer service and customer retention.

She said, “What we fail to understand in this environment is retaining customers and customer service, we look for that sale and it ends there, what this has birth is a lot of schools have not subsidised or created their businesses, within the business.”

“Anticipate the needs of your customers and that goes through learning”

Also speaking, the CEO of Blooming Greens School, Susan Babatunde-Yamah, said “To gain attention from administrators in the education sector, products and services need to offer value for money, adhere to high standards, prioritise durability and sustainability, while also providing flexible payment plans and staying in sync with current trends in the 21st-century learning environment.

“There has to be value for money, the standard has to be high, durable, and sustainable for administrators to look in your direction. Products and services must conform with 21st-century dynamics and global trends and best practices in the education sector.”