By Esther Onyegbula

Mind Builders School, one of Nigeria’s leading private educational institutions, is set to celebrate its founder, Mrs. Bolajoko Falore, as she marks her 70th birthday and 50 years of service to the teaching profession with a maiden Annual Symposium scheduled for June 20, 2026, in Lagos.

The symposium, organised by the Trustees of Mind Builders Education Trust, will hold at the Mind Builders School Hall, Ikeja CBD, Alausa, Lagos, and is expected to attract key stakeholders from academia, government, business, and the education sector.

Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of United Bank for Africa Plc, Mr. Oliver Alawuba, will deliver the keynote address, while former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Idowu Olayinka, will attend as Guest Speaker.

The celebration comes as Mind Builders School continues to gain recognition as one of the country’s foremost centres of academic excellence, innovation, leadership development, and character formation.

Founded in 1998 with only eighteen pupils and six teachers operating from a wing of a duplex in Omole Phase 1, Lagos, the institution has grown into a multi-campus educational enterprise with approximately 450 students and 128 teaching and non-teaching staff.

The school currently boasts forty-eight classrooms and more than fifteen specialised learning centres, including Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Basic Science and Technology laboratories, ICT facilities, a Language Room, Mathematics Clinic, Introductory Technology Laboratory, Art Studio, Music Room, Home Economics facilities, and other modern learning resources.

Built on Mrs. Falore’s philosophy of “Building Your Child for Tomorrow’s Challenges,” the institution has established itself as a reference point for educational excellence and holistic child development.

In further demonstration of her commitment to sustainability and educational advancement, Mrs. Falore incorporated twelve dedicated rooms within the school complex for the proposed establishment of a Teachers’ Training School aimed at strengthening professional development and improving teaching standards within the education sector.

The institution has also expanded its physical infrastructure with an annex campus in Omole Phase 2 and a 9,000-square-metre sports complex equipped with facilities for football, basketball, volleyball, badminton, lawn tennis, swimming, and a mini-stadium project.

Stakeholders in the education sector have continued to describe Mind Builders School as a model of visionary leadership and institutional growth driven by consistency, discipline, and innovation.

Over the years, the school has invested significantly in staff development and international exposure programmes. Between 1999 and 2015, Mrs. Falore sponsored educational visits to leading schools in South Africa and the United Kingdom to enable teachers and administrators acquire global best practices in educational leadership and school management.

The investments, according to the organisers, have contributed immensely to the institution’s reputation for academic excellence and leadership development.

Mind Builders School has produced several first-class graduates from universities in Nigeria, Europe, and North America, while some former staff members have established successful schools in Nigeria, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The school has also maintained a strong culture of social responsibility through scholarship support for indigent students, educational opportunities for vulnerable children, and interventions aimed at improving public school infrastructure.

Mrs. Falore’s influence extends beyond the classroom through her active involvement in educational advocacy and policy development. She has served in leadership positions within the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, NAPPS, the Association of Private Educators in Nigeria, APEN, and the World Organization for Early Childhood Education, OMEP.

Organisers of the symposium said the event would provide a platform for critical conversations around educational excellence, leadership, sustainability, and the future of quality education in Nigeria.

They noted that the gathering would also offer policymakers, educators, parents, and development partners an opportunity to reflect on the role of purposeful leadership in transforming educational institutions into drivers of national development.

For many stakeholders, the enduring success of Mind Builders School remains one of the strongest testaments to Mrs. Falore’s five decades of dedication to education and human capital development.

As the institution approaches three decades of growth, observers say Mind Builders School has evolved beyond a traditional academic institution into a symbol of transformative leadership, innovation, and excellence in Nigeria’s education sector.