WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL INSPIRE LEADERS

The Sun Never Stops Shinning on those Who Never Stop Believing

I great you in Jesus mighty name.

I celebrate the zeal you have displayed. In many cases, some would have given up. But you are here. It takes a lot. Here is a quote to get you started.

"Belief creates the actual fact."
William James

"Believe you can and you're halfway there."
Theodore Roosevelt

Is it Education or Leadership?

Is it Education of Leadership?

By Mubita C. Nawa

I thank God for the opportunity to write in this wonderful supplement. Three years ago, with six children only, we embarked on a journey to transform the way we view and perceive our children. We decided to establish Inspire Children’s Academy, a leadership school for children.

It is difficult to claim that we are the only leadership school in Zambia as such claims would be unsubstantiated. Yet it is tempting to think as such for though there are many wonderful schools in our nation, few view children as leaders.

Today we are proud to have graduated the first two grade seven classes at Inspire with a 100% pass rate. Both years our entire grade sevens passed and I must confess we are under pressure to ensure that we continue with our trend.

Education is not easy. It is costly as a matter of fact. Few people stop to wonder and think about the quality of education they may be providing or exposing their children to. One of the things that make it so costly to run a school is the legal requirements such as annual permits, statutory remittances to pension schemes etc. As your business or school grows you incur new costs such as legal fees, advertising, insurance, retirement and the like.

Inspire Children’s Academy now has three schools in Lusaka. One in Chalala, another in Woodlands and our latest baby in Northmead off Azikiwe Crescent. My wife and I see these schools as extensions of our dreams and ambitions. They are our ideas of influencing our communities so that our children can grow up as leaders, entrepreneurs, directors and dreamers. It is a shame to come across people at universities and colleges who do not know what they want to do when they grow up. Is it education or is it leadership that we seek at learning institutions? We have figured that it is leadership that we need. We need someone to propel us to greater heights and children are no exception.

There is a scripture in the bible where God questions the integrity of the children of Israel. In 2 Samuel 7:5-8 God instructs David through Nathan to build Him a house made of stone. God complains that he had not dwelt in a permanent structure since the delivery of the children of Israel from Egypt.

From that biblical account, we can deduce that many people in our nation do not prioritize education for their children. They drive expensive cars and live expensive lives but their children’s minds are in “tents” and not permanent structures. I am concerned as an educator that we are forgetting that the type of education we expose our children to will determine what type of leaders they will be.

At Inspire, we look for dedicated parents and families. We seek people who have no hesitation when it comes to paying school fees for their children because they value the investment they are making. Recently some statistics came up of a school in Lusaka. Out of over four hundred grade seven students, only forty nine made it to grade eight. To top it all, the teacher to child ratio is one teacher to seventy children. I have even heard of some private schools whose teacher to child ratio is nearly as bad as public schools.

We must all care. We have caped our teacher to child ratio at twenty five children to one teacher. Once it exceeds that we create another stream. Excellence is a commitment and it is a dual courage way.

Our nation will only grow when parents refuse to compromise the education standards of their child and schools stay committed to creating excellent teaching environments.

A parent came to get a quotation at Inspire Chalala and they happened to find me behind the desk. As we charted I discovered that they were very careful about what kind of education they wanted their child to be exposed to. They quizzed me left right and center. Wanted to see the toilets their child would be using and even desired to meet the ladies who would cook the food as their child would be joining our feeding program. I was sweating and panicking not out of guilt but subconscious self correction. By the time they left the building I was glad they had gone so I could catch a breather.

Yet I was so refreshed that we still have such parents who would take the time to care about the quality of education and leadership training their child gets.

Education is a journey and it must be worth the walk and effort that we put onto its path. On my Head Mistress’s desk is a thank you card from one parent. It reads “to Inspire Children’s Academy management and staff, thank you for the hard work you have shown in motivating our son Moono and in ensuring that he passed his grade seven exams to grade eight. May God bless you.”

With such feedback what can stop us from believing that our future is bright. Any businesses where the owners and staff remain dedicated to service excellence and quality delivery, the sky is not even the limit.

For us at Inspire Children’s Academy we are grateful for the favor of God on our lives. In three years of existence we have three branches and we continue to explore what options await us in future including secondary school and boarding schools. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the parents whose children have already graduated and those whose minds we still mold and shape each day. It is such an honor to receive your support.

To my fellow private school owners and managers, let us give people value for their money. Let us transform the minds of these children so that one day we may all be proud. Let us work as teams and not compromise the fees you charge just to show that you have numbers. A private school is a school of quality first and quantity last.

Remember what the United Negro College Fund say, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”

The author of this article is Mubita C. Nawa, Executive Director and Leadership Coach at Inspire Children’s Academy. Inspire Children’s Academy is a leadership academy for children located in Chalala, Woodlands and Northmead. For inquiries, Contact Tel 0978117920, 0978730723 or email inspirechildrensacademy@gmail.com

Inspire Children's Academy

Inspire Children’s Academy

By Mubita C. Nawa

My eight year stay in the USA was very enlightening. My best moments came during the times I spent talking to children. The first time I stood in front of American children to speak, I was frightened by their audacity and ability to express their feelings. Americans are trained from a young age not to be afraid.

I would stand in class and they would say, “You speak funny.” After introducing myself, they would say “Mu…what?” In the beginning it was a struggle. Through persistence and determination, I won them over.  When Americans love and trust you, then it is done.

I worked as a motivator for Clay Academy a school founded by Bishop T D Jakes. My job would mean going to the school every Wednesday morning and speaking to the children. I would answer their academic needs and also their spiritual needs. I was also a Sunday school teacher at The Potters House Church which has a membership of over 30,000 members. Eventually, Bishop Jakes took note of my passion for children and promoted me to be the Educational Coordinator at the entire Potters House and Clay Academy.

When my wife and I came back to Zambia after years in the USA, it was only natural that one of our businesses would be a school. But we did not just want another school. So I decided that our school was going to be called Inspire Children’s Academy- a Leadership School for Children. We started the school in January of 2009 with only six children. The beginning was hard. But slowly parents began to hear about the developments in their children’s lives.

Today, our school has all the grades from two years to grade seven. My wife and I are the directors. But we have a full complement of staff. We have hired competent people from drivers and gardeners to teachers and also consultants. We even have a teacher of French and are looking to hire a few more teachers this month as the school has grown.

So what is so special about Inspire Children’s Academy? We teach leadership. We teach children how to know their destiny in life. We ask them to memories a leadership pledge which they recite three or four times a day. We also equip children with debate and writing skills. Communication determines success. So we believe children must speak confidently. As a man who earns his living from effective use of words, I know I am the right candidate for this.

Often times children go to school get a degree but fail to even find their purpose and mission in life. Our aim as a school is to develop children and to motivate them and help them realize their potential. Our mission statement is very simple: “To Introduce Children to leadership concepts at an early age while at the same time bringing education and fun to their lives.”

Let me tell you about a few children at our school. There are many children who attend our school but I will talk about a few. There is a young man by the name of MJ. MJ will always be remembered as the child who cried the most. When he came to our school he had barely turned 2. Today he is nearly three. He loves to attend school. He enjoys being on our school bus. He also loves our warm meals that we serve daily. Another student is Praise. Praise is from Malawi. When her parents brought her to Inspire, she hardly spoke English to us. She spoke to us in deep Chewa. Praise is always punctual and almost always the first to arrive. Today praise is a glowing light of confidence.

I can’t end without speaking about the America twins Lila and Lela at our school. When we heard that Americans would be attending our school we were a little intimidated. But soon we realized that we had what it takes to impress them. We now have a total of four Americans, I Malawian, I Congolese, and many Zambians.

We have wonderful teachers. We have had to let go of a few teachers in line with our pursuit for excellence. But one teacher stands out. He is our first grade teacher. Teacher Darius is loved by our students because of his passion, discipline and commitment to duty. He does not segregate; he simply coaches for academic growth. He is early to arrive at school. But above all, he loves to teach.

We serve warm meals at our school and they are prepared by Chisenga. She is becoming so busy now and I have to hire some more people. But Chisenga cooks great meals. I eat there every Wednesday because that is when I teach debate and writing plus leadership. The children love that class and I can tell you right now I don’t know another school that teachers that class.

Next year we have great plans. We want to start building a school that is bigger than where we are. We are currently situated in Woodlands extension Chalala near where all the three major schools are in Chalala. We are neighbors with two other schools which we do not see as competitors but friends. When you call me or my wife, I will set up an appointment for you to come and see our leadership academy.

May be one day, a child will lead this world from that school that graduates leaders. God bless and see you when you come to Inspire Children’s Academy in Chalala Lusaka. Don’t forget we can even pick you up in one of our buses if you need us to.

INSPIRE CHILDREN’S ACADEMY

PLOT #29561 WOODLANDS EXTENSION CHALALA LUSAKA

TEL- 0978730723/ 0978117920

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