The following Report is from a Site Visit to Ken-Ade Private School conducted by Christian Poirier (Singer-Kids4Kids) in August, 2006:
Ken-Ade School is located in the Makoko district of Lagos, Nigeria. This community is based on the lagoon edge of the city’s Mainland district. Makoko is a tightly packed community of 400,000 people, with eight people commonly sharing one room shacks. Its inhabitants are mainly fishermen, petty traders, and artisans. Makoko is the most deprived neighborhood of any I have seen during my site visits. Indeed, it is the worst slum I have ever encountered. The school is located on the one main road I witnessed, which has the highest level of development: concrete (open) sewers, water tanks, businesses, and concrete structures. As one moves away from the road, however, the conditions become abysmal, with the ground underfoot often black and spongy as if it comprised of layers of trash and filth, and with makeshift walkways constructed over putrid black waters. Houses are built of decaying wooden planks and corrugated metal sheets, often reaching three stories high and built with highly doubtful construction techniques. The narrow paths of the community were flooded with the seasonal rainwater making it necessary to step over large puddles on whatever small object is available underfoot. As one approaches the lagoon the ground ends and the houses (wooden shacks) are built on stilts over badly polluted water that serves as the community’s sewer. These conditions range from bad to worse in each section of Makoko – there are some concrete housing blocks on the more solid pieces of land, and some roads and paths are better than others. The community is nonetheless extremely poor and this is reflected in its general condition and infrastructure. The majority of the school’s students are based near the school, but some come from over a mile away. The students have undoubtedly many difficulties with their living conditions and I expect this makes their education all the more challenging.
Ken-Ade School has been in operation for 16 years. The school is comprised of 2 buildings (at two separate sites roughly 300 meters from one another) and has 10 classrooms. The first class block is located just off the main road in a closely packed bunch of buildings. There is a small clearing in front of the school (not belonging to the school) that serves as a sort of community space, always filled with children. The school building is concrete and fairly well-maintained, with a rather dark interior with grubby walls and other signs of wear and tear. This building is where the administrative offices are located, both the proprietor’s and the clerk’s. These are well-organized and tidy rooms. This building serves the nursery and kindergarten levels and has one large room with classrooms that are separated by wooden dividers that can be shifted around. The second building is an attractive new concrete structure that was recently constructed on land that was purchased with an “Educare” loan. This building serves the primary level and has small classrooms that are separated by wooden walls. There is a relatively spacious courtyard outside of the school with a small trash heap. The toilet building is quite well built and is a high quality facility. Considering how intensively used the first site appears to have been used for the last 16 years it’s in fairly good shape and shows signs of regular maintenance. The second site, being newer, is in relatively good shape and also shows signs of proper upkeep. While both sites need some structural improvements and general beautification they have been kept in good working order.
Ken-Ade School serves between 160 and 180 children, depending on enrolment, in grades ranging from pre-kingerten through 6th grade. The average class size is 18 students. The proprietor of the school is Bawo Sewo Elieu (BSE) Ayeseminikan. There are 11 full time teachers. The average teacher has “at least some” training as an educator. Teachers generally stay at the school 2½ to 3 years and are paid 5,000 naira ($39) a month on average. Tuition cost is 2,500 naira ($19) per child per term on average with some paying less and some paying more. A full 25% to 30% of the students are provided free seats based on criteria such as living in single parent households, or having illiterate or very poor parents. If the family sends 3 children the third attends for free. The average family income in Makoko is 8,000 naira ($62) a month. Typically, families have a very hard time paying for school fees. For this reason fees tend to be based on what a family can afford. The first school building (nursery and kindergarten) does not have toilets so the students use “public” facilities which I assumed were perched above a nearby open sewer. I was told that this building does not have toilets for lack of space. However, the second site (lower and upper primary) has the best sanitation facilities I witnessed in Lagos. Water is also provided at both sites so the students can wash. It would be good if the school could have more space in which to install an additional toilet. There is a local nurse based near the facilities. Ill students are sent to her. Additional space could also provide a sick bay for students, as well as a location to keep first aid supplies. The school has electricity, but it is not reliable. It does have generators; however, there is a need for a good additional generator. There is no internet currently set up, but a number of options are available to establish the service at the school. There are local internet cafés. The school has no computers. It presently lacks the space for a computer lab as all available space is being used for classrooms or administration. A family member of one of the teachers is trained in computer maintenance and repair. There are also many local computer repair services available; therefore, it would be feasible to provide computers to the school for a new computer lab for the students.
I felt that Ken-Ade was the best candidate in Lagos due especially to the energy of Mr. Ayeseminikan. What he has been able to accomplish with limited resources is quite impressive, but most of all his communitarian, altruistic, and entrepreneurial spirit made his character stand out among the other school proprietors I encountered. He seems very capable and trustworthy as well, leaving no doubt as to why Professor James Tooley has worked so closely with him on their “Educare” small loans for school program. (BSE is the co-founder of the Nigerian chapter of Educare.)
Ideally, Ken-Ade School would like to be able to expand their facility and acquire a school bus; however, there are many other needs that the school has that require a much lower level of funding.
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