Janet kibugu-mulei, making a mark through education
“My name is Janet Kibugu-Mulei. I am a passionate young entrepreneur who is committed to impacting young minds through positive influence- I am the founder and proprietor of Diamond Junior School.”
I’ve always had a passion for nurturing children from when I was very young, and I believed I had something positive to offer the next generations- something different and positive. When I started the school, I was fully following my passion.
Growing up there was never a dull moment with my 3 siblings; we always looked out for fun activities. I studied hard in school, I was actively engaged in sports activities and despite the ups and downs my family experienced financially, my parents always worked hard to ensure we never missed a meal on our table.
My fascination for getting into business intensified towards the end of my High School years, I just wasn’t sure what business I wanted to do. So even after High School, I always tried out different ideas which probably didn’t go far because of lack of passion.
Initially I thought I wanted to be a Pediatrician, but I quickly realized seeing children in pain and suffering wasn’t my cup of tea. I eventually studied law, was admitted to the bar as an Advocate of the High court, but I opted not to practice- because I eventually figured I had no passion for it.
In retrospect, one of key pieces of advise I can give women out there thinking about going into business is one, truly follow their passion – any business comes with its fair share of challenges but as long as you’re passionate about what you’re doing that will always keep you going and focused on what you want to achieve.
Secondly, learn from other people’s mistakes; you can’t live long enough to make all the mistakes in this world, so learn from others. And most importantly, maintain a positive attitude even when facing challenges and look for what good can come out of it as opposed to worrying and being too hard on yourself.
There will always be challenges so it’s best to always be psychologically prepared so that you’re not caught unaware. The key thing is to look at any challenges you face as a learning curve as opposed to letting them discourage you.
Like any other business, penetrating into the market when we just started wasn’t easy but in as much as we have experienced challenges of growing a young brand, we have learned a lot along the way.
The transition into a Junior School from Kindergarten has been one of our biggest steps to the next level. We recently introduced the Primary section and I believe the sky is the limit for us.
THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN KENYA
When I look at the education system in Kenya, it has worked for many years but with all the changes in the world today, I believe it’s time for us to seriously evaluate if the system will take us to the next level. I definitely think there is a lot of room for improvement in our current education system.
We need a system that will help children discover their passions and their potential at an early age. Why should a child go through all the levels of education and only discover after University that what they have studied for isn’t what they would want to pursue in life?
How much different would it be for children if by the time they are clearing High School or even the Primary level, they have a sense of direction of what they would want to pursue in life, of their purpose and their passion?
It isn’t only the education system that needs some change though; it’s also our mindsets as parents and as educators. We need to realize that there are many different sectors where people can still succeed in life other than the usual, Medicine, Engineering, Law and so forth.
Today as I run Diamond Junior School with the great support of my excellent team and grow it from strength to strength, I find great satisfaction in what I do and the difference it makes. Our motto is ‘Inspiring Excellence’ we always work hard towards living up to that motto; to inspire the children to be excellent all round.
We are constantly instilling positive values in the children, during assembly, in class, within the school environment and more so through our Vacation Bible School Program that’s held every school holidays.
And also, just like our name Diamond, we are committed to providing a firm and solid foundation to our precious jewels & keep encouraging them to let their lights shine bright.
We also look beyond academic excellence and recognize children as individuals with unique interests and capabilities.
Extra-curricular activities are important in a child’s life. It boosts their confidence, help them to discover their talents or even a hobby that will later on help to keep them busy instead of engaging in other negative behavior that’s influenced by peer pressure.
Sometimes you will find students who are really great in Arts or other Extra-curricular activities, but may not be the best in class; but the fact that they know they are great in something really boosts their self-esteem and confidence and it encourages them to improve in areas where they may be weak in class.
Extra-curricular activities keep children active and healthy and can open opportunities for them in future not related to academics. For any school, providing platforms for extra-curricular activities is crucial because it helps children to discover their strengths and potentials in other areas away from the class.
We provide an array of Extra-curricular activities and are always on the look-out for areas where these talents can be exposed. We are also very committed to raising a generation of self-reliant and well-disciplined learners.
SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAM
Every school holiday, we run a Vacation Bible School program for children aged between 3-9 years to experience a week long spiritual nourishment program. We provide the experience at quite a low cost in comparison to many other programs that are conducted during the holidays.
It has grown to become been a great outreach program to engage children spiritually and impart positive Christian values and principles. The Vacation Bible School has been one of our biggest areas of impact.
The world is changing at a very fast rate and children are being exposed to all sorts of things at a very early age; as Parents, Educators, Role models, as a School, we feel it’s our responsibility to do the best we can to try and ground them while they are still young, give them a solid foundation and impart positive Christian values and principles that will help guide them in this fast changing world.
To any parent who wants to enroll their child to join the school or be part of the Vacation Bible School, we encourage you to visit the school where you will be given a personal tour around and can ask as many questions as possible. The youngest we take is 2 year old and we currently have up to Class Two.”
To Get in Touch;
Diamond Junior School is located on Likoni Road, off Mombasa road
Email address: info@diamondjunior.com
Telephone Number: 0715 591879
Website: www.diamondjunior.co.ke
Facebook Page: Diamond Junior School