Page 71 - NEW ENERGIES Beyond Data

Dr. Rahmon Adetunji Lateef

Proprietor, Socrates Group of Schools

Ilorin, Kwara State

I grew up in a humble background without a mentor, but I was driven by a passion for education, so I pursued
my studies diligently from primary school through to a PhD. From an early age, I dreamt of establishing a
school to support my community, a goal I am grateful to have achieved. Our school aims to provide affordable
and quality education, addressing the needs of our society.

The toughest part of my job is human relations, especially in a boarding school. Parents expect their children

to return home unharmed, so we take great care and have matrons and patrons on-site to monitor the
students.

We constantly strive to innovate and remain competitive, but implementing new ideas is difficult without
adequate resources. This drive for innovation directed our focus on skill development. In Nigeria today,
having a certificate without skills is hardly beneficial. We’ve initiated Socrates Football Academy to identify
talented footballers while offering vocational training in ICT, graphic design, printing, and tailoring. While

students pursue their academic programs, we want to provide opportunities for them to develop practical
skills, ensuring they have a means to survive after graduation.

Electricity is almost non-existent here. We can’t rely on more than three hours of electricity a day. Sometimes
we get power for five hours, then nothing for five days. We have nearly 300 computers that students could
use if we had consistent electricity. Running these systems on our 80KV generator is expensive. One hour
costs nearly forty thousand naira. Using it for a few hours daily for a month is financially unsustainable. We

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