Four professionals pooled P2 million to put up a preschool promoting nationalism and love of one's roots.
By Marcie Linao
Entrepreneur
In 2004 Basil Wuson, a business administration graduate, approached Ani Almario, a teacher and the owner of Adarna Publishing House, to pitch his idea of putting up a pre-school. Later, they invited two other people, CP David, a professor, and Melvin Rillo, a lawyer, to become partners. They decided to divide the work by contributing their specialties to the project, and eventually Almario's older sister Asa, an architect, designed the school. David, a Ph.D. in geology and environmental science, supervised its construction and injected science into the curriculum; Almario volunteered to draft the curriculum and to administer the school. Wuson took care of finance, and Rillo the legal side of the business.
They initially injected P2 million-money they'd saved or borrowed from relatives-into the project. "At first we were looking at land prices, but they were super-expensive!" says Almario. "Even our banks aren't really friendly to borrowers, so if you really want to put up a company, hihiram ka talaga ng pera sa nanay mo." And because Almario's mother owned the land and the reconstructed building, most of the partners' money went into putting up the school facilities. "At first we didn't think it was wise because most preschool owners start by having classes in their living rooms, but we decided that we wanted a real school," says Almario. "I think it paid off, because a lot of parents are impressed when they see the school. It also shows that we are very serious about our school."
The partners eventually decided they would promote nationalism in their school out of deference to Almario and David, who both came from nationalistic families. (Almario is the daughter of National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario; David is the son of teacher Randy David). They would call the school Raya-the old Malay word from which the word rajah was derived-and allow its pupils to celebrate their roots and discover their nobility. It would offer two grade levels initially (junior and senior kinder) and prep the following year. "When people hear that our preschool promotes nationalism, they usually think that the school is brown and is filled with indigenous materials," says Almario, laughing. In truth, the school is very colorful and full of scientific and Filipino artifacts. It has masks from Lucban, taka (papier-mâché toys) from Paete, instruments from Kalinga, fossils and dinosaur models. "Just like our curriculum, our school is unique in that it engages the child in all ways possible," says Almario. "We have a library offering only the best of children's literature. We have a multi-purpose room that allows all forms of play and musical stimulation. Some of our walls are made of blackboards where the students can draw and write. We have a magnet wall where the kids can display their artwork."
Today, the school employs four people: two teachers, an administrative assistant, and an all-around cleaning lady and nanny. (Almario, the school head, pitches in as a teacher when needed.) It allows only 10 to 12 students per class so the teachers get to know their students well and to monitor their progress closely.
Still, the school had a hard time attracting parents initially because its principals were unknown to them. And the owners had difficulty picking teachers. "We had to choose people who believed in the thrust of the school and at the same time agreed to the not-so-high salary since we were just starting the business", says Almario. But she's confident they'll succeed as a result of the school's balanced curriculum, complete facilities, well-trained teachers, and low tuition (P35,000 a year compared with P75,000 in most other schools). She predicts Raya would break even in three to five years, when she and her partners would have put up a grade school and started giving scholarships to deserving children. "We feel fulfilled when we talk to parents because they really chose our school, and we don't want to fail them," she says. "I want our school to serve a social function of producing good citizens."
Raya School
Telephone: (02) 376-2184
Email: info@raya.org.ph
By Marcie Linao
Entrepreneur
In 2004 Basil Wuson, a business administration graduate, approached Ani Almario, a teacher and the owner of Adarna Publishing House, to pitch his idea of putting up a pre-school. Later, they invited two other people, CP David, a professor, and Melvin Rillo, a lawyer, to become partners. They decided to divide the work by contributing their specialties to the project, and eventually Almario's older sister Asa, an architect, designed the school. David, a Ph.D. in geology and environmental science, supervised its construction and injected science into the curriculum; Almario volunteered to draft the curriculum and to administer the school. Wuson took care of finance, and Rillo the legal side of the business.
They initially injected P2 million-money they'd saved or borrowed from relatives-into the project. "At first we were looking at land prices, but they were super-expensive!" says Almario. "Even our banks aren't really friendly to borrowers, so if you really want to put up a company, hihiram ka talaga ng pera sa nanay mo." And because Almario's mother owned the land and the reconstructed building, most of the partners' money went into putting up the school facilities. "At first we didn't think it was wise because most preschool owners start by having classes in their living rooms, but we decided that we wanted a real school," says Almario. "I think it paid off, because a lot of parents are impressed when they see the school. It also shows that we are very serious about our school."
The partners eventually decided they would promote nationalism in their school out of deference to Almario and David, who both came from nationalistic families. (Almario is the daughter of National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario; David is the son of teacher Randy David). They would call the school Raya-the old Malay word from which the word rajah was derived-and allow its pupils to celebrate their roots and discover their nobility. It would offer two grade levels initially (junior and senior kinder) and prep the following year. "When people hear that our preschool promotes nationalism, they usually think that the school is brown and is filled with indigenous materials," says Almario, laughing. In truth, the school is very colorful and full of scientific and Filipino artifacts. It has masks from Lucban, taka (papier-mâché toys) from Paete, instruments from Kalinga, fossils and dinosaur models. "Just like our curriculum, our school is unique in that it engages the child in all ways possible," says Almario. "We have a library offering only the best of children's literature. We have a multi-purpose room that allows all forms of play and musical stimulation. Some of our walls are made of blackboards where the students can draw and write. We have a magnet wall where the kids can display their artwork."
Today, the school employs four people: two teachers, an administrative assistant, and an all-around cleaning lady and nanny. (Almario, the school head, pitches in as a teacher when needed.) It allows only 10 to 12 students per class so the teachers get to know their students well and to monitor their progress closely.
Still, the school had a hard time attracting parents initially because its principals were unknown to them. And the owners had difficulty picking teachers. "We had to choose people who believed in the thrust of the school and at the same time agreed to the not-so-high salary since we were just starting the business", says Almario. But she's confident they'll succeed as a result of the school's balanced curriculum, complete facilities, well-trained teachers, and low tuition (P35,000 a year compared with P75,000 in most other schools). She predicts Raya would break even in three to five years, when she and her partners would have put up a grade school and started giving scholarships to deserving children. "We feel fulfilled when we talk to parents because they really chose our school, and we don't want to fail them," she says. "I want our school to serve a social function of producing good citizens."
Raya School
Telephone: (02) 376-2184
Email: info@raya.org.ph
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