‘Our focus is to mould leaders of integrity through quality education’

Irene Okoene, Founder/Proprietor of Heaven of Light Schools, Edo State in this interview gives insight into how the school rose from a humble beginning to national reckoning. She further disclosed effort to mould students of integrity under the right accommodation.

Could you go down memory lane on how the school started?

Haven of Light Schools (HLS) commenced academic activities on September 15th, 2008 with just six pupils in Nurseries 1, 2 and Primary 1 respectively. For the next three years, the number slowly increased to 28. The Secondary section started on September23last year.  It might interest you to know that today we have a total of 162 pupils in the nursery and primary sections and eight students in JSS1. The JSS1 students are products of the nursery/primary section.

What made you contemplate the idea of a boarding school?

With the success of the primary section, parents had requested that we consolidate by starting a secondary school which they expect their kids could continue with especially with respect to the upbringing and disciplined lifestyle which is all HLS stand for. We decided that if we are going to start a secondary school, it is going to be a boarding school. In this way, we will be able to monitor student’s activities, thus eliminating cult and other harmful activities. Day students are more difficult to manage because once they are off the school premises; you have no control over their movements and activities.

What are the challenges you encountered while putting up the project?

Running a school in a rural setting has been very stressful that at times in the past I felt like just ‘throwing in the towel’. Huge amounts of money have been invested in building this school and we are still building. Half of the time we had to get skilled workers from out of town; places like Benin, Lagos, Abuja – both construction workers and teaching staff who could help bring our vision into reality.

The classroom block (a 3-storey building) and 2 bungalows have been completed. Also completed are the administrative buildings for the primary and secondary section, the building housing the cyber café and computer room, a building for the art and Home Economics rooms, and a lawn tennis court. Of course there is a three-bedroom structure to house the Principal, as well as two-bedroom apartments each for the Vice Principal and the accountant. Nearing completion are a two storey buildings for the boys and girls hostels. Each can comfortably accommodate 150 students.

The school has its own water borehole, a 200 KVA transformer, two stand-by generators, solar powered security lightening, and trained security guards from a reputable company. The street on which the school is located has been reconstructed by the proprietor.

So who is responsible for the financing?

All these have been made possible through the financing of the proprietor and by God’s grace we have not borrowed a dime from external sources. We view the running of this school as not a project but a lifelong work. Our wish is that it will out-live us, for generations yet unborn, God’s willing.

What stand you out as an educational institution?

HLS pupils sat for the first school leaving certificate examination and passed with merits. Since the inception of this school, no child has either failed or died, not even those under the care of their parents or guardians. We are a praying school and a praying family. Every Friday night, a Pastor who is the brother-in-law to the school’s proprietor, gathers staff and family members for prayer and praise session to thank God for His mercies and blessings for the week just ended. We also ask for God’s favour and protection in the coming week.

What is next after the project?

The next step is to start the Senior Secondary School for which a site has been acquired and construction work will commence in the near future. It is our wish that other like-minded individuals or organizations who are interested in the development of the rural areas, will partner with us in starting this cause. We also have a plan in the short to long term period of partnering with foreign higher institutions to facilitate graduating students from HLS into higher institutions abroad.

What is the vision of the school and where are you hoping to be in the next 10 years?

Our focus right now is to produce future stars, students of enviable honesty and integrity, who can compete fearlessly with other students from other internationally acclaimed schools. In a society where a lot of children are becoming morally bankrupt, we aim to produce real princes and princesses, who are intelligent, beautiful (morally and spiritually), and a blessing to our country, Nigeria; students we will be proud to identify with long after they have left this school.