Coming from a well established academic background the Proprietress of DANCILIA Model School situated in Umuebulu 4 Igbo Etche axis of Greater Port Harcourt City Dr. (Mrs) Love Alozie nee Ihewulezi sits atop a modern Nursery, Primary and Secondary School that has set the pace in grooming young children to realizing the dreams of acquiring educational knowledge with moderate school fees when compared to other contemporaries in the same private educational ventures in Port Harcourt Rivers state South-south Nigeria.
The holder of Doctorate Degree PhD in Educational Administration and Planning from Abia state University remains an internationally recognized academics who travels for conferences in Cyprus, Pittsburg Pennsylvania United States of America-USA and multi talented lady of honour and a God fearing Educationist has made Dancilia Model School a place to send one’s child/ward for better acquisition of the right skill to developmental character for better citizenry.
On Saturday 24th of March, 2018 she had exclusive chat with the team of www.towncrier.ng where she narrated her experiences in managing the students and the teaching faculty of Dancilia Model School Umuebulu 4 Well 18 Off Igbo Etche Road Port Harcourt. READ ON.
On answering question about what it take to be an entrepreneur she responded thus
“It takes dedication, motivation and prayer. The first and foremost of them is prayer before any other thing. In fact it is a joyous one because I happened to major in Educational Administration with which knowledge I manage men and material resources for creativity and the objective set up being actualized that is actualization of the set objectives. Dancilia Model School was established in 2013 /2014 academic session. And we are about stepping into our 5th year in operation.”
The intelligent school proprietress took time to explain her own experience initially as an entrepreneur saying “When I started I had wanted to start from the scratch but the people around here having heard about my history academically, they encouraged me to start from every level so when I consulted those in the Ministry of Education and they said that yes that I could hence I have the capability to do that. I didn’t start from the scratch I caught them from wherever I met them. And we have graduated some students although they didn’t sit here as they sat at a neighbouring school”.
And assessing the product of her institution through their performance in external examinations she said “In the last West African Examinations Council’s external exams none of my students has less than Credit grade 4 that is -C4 as they all made it and I am very proud of them. And before they sat for the examinations I told the proprietor of the school where they sat for the exams that ‘Never to allow my students engage in any examination malpractices so that from their performance and from there I will know and grade myself. And they were wonderful. We want to initiate internet domain account as some parents are in need of it to know the performance of their wards and children. The platform is being set up and the process is on-going.
About how have she has gone with the re-registration of her school as requested by Rivers state Government directives of having private schools operating in the state re-registered Dr.( Mrs) Alozie said “That experience is something that you could not wish your worst enemy. It was something else, but by the grace of God I was able to surmount the obstacles and got my school registered in 2016/2017 academic session. So, we are writing our Junior WAEC in this June 2018”. The provision of sets of Desktop computers for obtaining accreditation and enlisting for Universal Tertiary Matriculation Examinations/Joint Admissions Matriculations Board –JAMB examination Center she admitted that She is working towards that.
With the present day erosion of moral up-bringing and inculcating good values instilled in the students she responded thus “By His grace every Friday of the week, we get engaged in Moral Instructions where we invite some pastors and some Priest to come and give us some words of encouragement and certain things that will boost up our spirituality. The students engage one after the other giving moral instructions as directed by the teachers such that if a Class goes in and come out another Class goes in so, we learn a lot and we also get some magazines and print-out and other things where morals are being preached we give them out to the students”.
Those who come out from schools go back to learning Entrepreneurship skills , but her students usually get engaged with entrepreneurship learning as a subject in the school’s curriculum. She told www.towncrier.ng that “Yes, we are doing that if you go down there you will see some work equipments they are being used for Carpentry. Our Skills Acquisition center is at the other way; we have some sewing machines there and some other things as to follow up with the trend of events as far as entrepreneurship is concerned”.
Her intimidating academic profile easily gives her away as someone who knows truly what she is doing in the school administration system as she said “I am Doctor (Mrs) Love Alozie, -nee Ihewulezi by the grace of God I got my Doctor of Philosophy Degree PhD in Educational Administration and Planning from Abia State University, I made my Masters Degree in Education M.ED from University of Port Harcourt. I had my first Degree in Education B.ED from University of Nigeria Nsukka-UNN where I made second Class Upper Division and I did Nigerian Certificate In Education –NCE from Alvan Ikoku College of Education-A.I.C.E Owerri Imo state. I am a member of many educational organizations such as National Associations of Educational Administrators-NAEA, and then I belong to SESAN –Commonwealth Educational Administrators. I also belong to Cappa Delta Pii we just concluded our Academic Conference in Pittsburg Pennsylvania in United States of America-USA as I just came back to Nigeria from the international Educational Conference. And I belong to many Educational bodies and organizations”.
When she takes reflective view on what it takes for students to choose career she advised students in terms of career choice saying “From Senior Secondary School-Class One SS -1 they are given general subjects at least for them to have a test of what all the subjects look like. And in SS-2 they will fall in line whichever area they have their acumen as some of them are in the Sciences, some of them are Arts inclined but their parents will re-direct them wanting them to be an Engineer, some want their children to be Medical Doctors without thinking what their children have in their brains. So, as an educationist, I used to call their parents to my office and also educate them. This is because if they follow their own (parent’s) career it will also affect them in the future. One can excel being an Artiste/Artist; one can excel being a Teacher as everybody must not be Engineer, Doctors or Lawyers. So as their brain capacity directs so they should follow”.
Dancilia Model School on Saturday 24th of March, 2018 organized Inter-House Sports Championship which was the maiden edition as she said “It was not easy for me this is because initially some parents didn’t want to comply with the contributions as they all agreed on as we agreed during Parents Teachers associations-PTA Meeting. But for them to pay the prescribed fees was not so easy. Some of the parents cried because they don’t have the money and had it been that the resources are there they would have paid. As a mother and knowing what it takes to be a mother I have to take it softly with those ones by also giving them the sports outfit some of them are wearing today without paying a dime or kobo of money although I didn’t make it known to everybody”.
