OPPORTUNITIES AND ADVANTAGES OF A CREDIBLE DATABASE OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NIGERIA

1. OPPORTUNITIES AND ADVANTAGES OF A CREDIBLE DATABASE OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NIGERIA THE SCHOOLS GUIDE APPROACH SMART ADVISORY

2. Who we are • S.M.A.R.T Advisory Limited is a business solution provider specializing in corporate finance, business advisory and management and process improvement. • We partner with our clients to help them move from one growth phase to another in the most efficient way. • We are also a market research and rating agency. Our objective is to help individuals and organizations to pursue new opportunities, and maximize growth and performance. • We know it’s your business but we are sure we can be a trusted partner for growth. SMART ADVISORY

3. What Is Database? • A database is designed to provide an organized mechanism for storing, managing and retrieving data (information). • They do so through the use of tables or search engines. • Basically, a database is a computerized record keeping system. • A database is used to store large amounts of information. • The information is usually linked into categories. • Each sub category can be linked in different ways. • It makes information retrieval very easy and to the benefit of all stakeholders • It is a collaborative tool rather than a competitive tool • A database helps in the expansion of your market SMART ADVISORY

4. The School Guide As Database? • Our Schools Guide Project is targeted to simplify the efforts of parents and guardians in the search for schools • It is all about the challenges parents face in the search for schools for their children. • Imagine parents having to go through the websites of all possible schools? • Information gathering becomes cumbersome and parents may have to rely on personal opinions of other parents. SMART ADVISORY

5. Challenges Faced By ParentsIn Choice Of Schools • The decision as to which school to choose has become a major problem that most parents and guardians face now when their children or wards are getting to the secondary school age. • It is estimated that there may be over 20,000 secondary schools in Nigeria ranging from the government owned schools, the private schools and the missionary schools. • There are also schools that cater for special needs but which may be unknown to many parents. • There is the challenge of having to visit as many as 5 schools before taking a decision. • There is also the challenge of having to rely on third party opinion which may be biased. • Lack of adequate information and database in Nigeria • Schools that do have websites have minimal information with minimal value in terms of being able to convince and compel target clients, let alone when they are ready to make a school decision. SMART ADVISORY

6. The Objectives Of The Schools GuideAs A Database • To create a database of academic offerings, facilities and accomplishments of schools so that parents can make informed decisions. • To encourage and support schools administrators in continuous academic and infrastructure improvement and performance using the benchmark strategy. • Highlight schools performance in non-academic areas such as sports, creative arts, etc. • Provide detailed information to parents and educators on schools standard. • Encourage schools to monitor and evaluate improvements made over a period of time. • It’s about having the RIGHT information about schools and communicating with the RIGHT message, at the RIGHT time when they are ready to make a decision, and finding the RIGHT solution that will satisfy a parent’s need. SMART ADVISORY

7. Benefits of The School Guide • The schools guide and accompanying analysis help in disseminating information in a compressed format. • Being listed in the guide has the potential to drive a higher patronage to the schools listed. There is an expanded market. • It is an effective medium of showcasing the different quality and standards of academics and facilities being offered through benchmarking. • It will assist parents in making informed decisions • The offerings of schools listed are no longer unknown or known only to a few. • All the key information on a number of schools listed can be retrieved from one place • This means that no one has to wonder if what they're looking at is the latest information, or if the information they have been given is true and fair opinion. • Everyone knows where to find the information they need at the moment they need it. SMART ADVISORY

8. Benefits of The Schools Guide • It helps to take your school’s marketing to the next level • Fast Queries: Searching for information about schools is going to be typically much faster using the schools guide. • Flexibility: Using different views and search criteria each user has the ability to see the data in a way that benefits them the most. • Expand patronage through cross sell and up sell • Potential to generate unsolicited referrals from visitors • It will create early awareness of competitive disadvantage • It will help to establish meaningful goals and performance measures that reflect an external/customer focus, foster "quantum leap" thinking, and focus on high-payoff opportunities; • It is more than compiling a list of contact names and addresses of schools SMART ADVISORY

9. Schools’ Role In The DatabaseGathering • Information Requirements • It is important to consider what information you want to get out there to the public. • It is important that you provide information that projects as many areas of your school as possible • Responsibility and Maintenance of the Database • It is important that you appoint one person within your school to be responsible for the update of the information. • Your database on the guide should be frequently updated to ensure information is current, correct and visitors who wish to contact you are attended to promptly • Capture All Information • The main objective of the guide is to grow your business. The more information you can capture about your school and students, the more effective your database will be towards this objective. SMART ADVISORY

10. Schools Guide Need Checklist • Who is going to use the schools guide and what are the database’s features and qualities that my school will need? • Can information be sorted in various ways? • Can the schools guide generate personalised mailing labels, letters and other customised reports? • Can the school change, delete or add fields of information? • Will there be security functions e.g. passwords to restrict access for different levels of use? • Does the database require staff training on how to use it effectively? • If parents have to source information in a number of places, then perhaps it is time to consider getting listed in a single database for schools. SMART ADVISORY

11. Benchmarking Need Checklist • Is your industry (school) facing heightened competition from domestic and/or international rivals? • Do your sales representatives increasingly argue they need to offer deeper and deeper fee discounts to encourage parents and increase school revenue? • Are you finding your need to advertise more to get noticed in the marketplace, yet the impact of each advertising naira spent is falling? • Is your school focused more on cost cutting and brand management at the expense of growth and quality control? • Do you blame your slow growth on the economy or your location? • Do you see partnership with some primary schools as a principal prerequisite to regain competitiveness? • If you list your key competitive factors and list your competition’s key competitive factors, are they largely the same? If you answered yes to a majority of these questions, then your business is in urgent need of benchmarking and database. SMART ADVISORY

12. What We Seek To Do For Schools With The School Guide • Create uncontested market space with benchmarking • Make competition irrelevant by increasing the scope of the market • Create a platform to capture new demands • Reconstruct the market boundaries and focus on the big picture • Overcome organizational hurdles and build execution into strategy • Create a platform where you can see where your strategy needs to change • Use feedback and data analysis to build the best “to be” future strategy. SMART ADVISORY

13. Our Beliefs The language we use in the guide is going to be simple and informative, not complicated and confusing. • By encouraging long term, collaborative relationships with schools we will understand one another the better, understand the need to have information readily and easily available to stakeholders and we can help you put the information out thereto meet our collective objectives. • We believe that information and transparency are some of the cardinals of education. • We believe in providing the highest level of expertise in all areas of our work. Our team of highly qualified specialists will work together to provide detailed analysis and guide to schools. • We believe our Regular Review Service is key to ensuring that schools listed in our guide remain on track. SMART ADVISORY

14. Thank you for your attention SMART ADVISORY

15. Contact S.M.A.R.T. ADVISORY LTD 24 B, Femi Okunu Estate Phase 1, Lekki /Epe Expressway Lekki Peninsular Lagos, Nigeria Tel: +234 -1-8144776 info@smartadvisoryltd.com www.smartadvisoryltd.com SMART ADVISORY