If building resilience, coping skills, and abiding tolerance are key to meaningful survival in the ever-challenging world we live in, then Dowen College Lagos is the need of the hour for young persons all over the world.
Energized by the Founder’s vision of a co-educational institution established on October 6, 1997, to create an ambiance for educational excellence for students of secondary school age, Dowen College Lagos always ensures that every child that passes through it develops to be the very best. With a strong resolve to release the innate potential and untapped leadership qualities of its students so they could discover their personal purposes and destinies in life, Dowen College’s mission resonates peaceably with its vision.
Little wonder then that paradigms of effectiveness are all-around learning at Dowen College Lagos. Here, students are able to move from personal growth to interpersonal development. As they learn about transforming their individual selves, they are able to transform their communities. We teach our students that as they appreciate their personal values they appreciate in value also.
The Dowen Way of Life is subsumed in a hidden curriculum that comprises concepts informally and often unintentionally taught in our school system. Embedded in this are social expectations of gender, language, behaviour, and morals. These are encapsulated in the ‘ABCD of Dowen’
- Academic Excellence
- Beauty
- Culture
- Discipline
and combine to give the Dowen College graduates an all-round and robust personality.
DISCIPLINE
Emotional Intelligence is ingrained at Dowen College and where students understand the emotions of others and are taught how to manage their own emotions as well, this helps the formulation and entrenchment of a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for bullying. We also have a policy against corporal punishment and seek alternative means of redirecting and correcting behaviour without compromising on standards. We have clearly stated and simplified rules and regulations that guide the behaviour of our students. In addition, we maintain a good working partnership with parents to support our goals and objectives and promote best practices. However because our students are fully engaged, mischief is kept at bay always.
LIBRARY RESOURCES
The Library is well-stocked with various literature ranging from textbooks, journals, periodicals, and magazines to novels. There are also computers in the library to aid both students and teachers in their research work.
STUDENTS NOT FLUENT IN ENGLISH
Students admitted to the school have little or no problems with spoken English. They typically have good oral communication skills in the English language. Our focus is therefore on improving their writing skills. Programmes such as the press club, fortnightly spelling bee activities, remedial classes for those with poor writing skills, and public speaking activities like debates are also encouraged to improve overall communication skills.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS
All staff is encouraged to undertake annual professional development courses and attend both in-house and external workshops to further enhance the teaching and learning process in both SSCE and IGCSE. The College as a matter of policy also sends four (4) members of staff for training in the United Kingdom annually.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS AND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME
Ensuring high academic performance for all students is a key driver for the school. All students are encouraged to attain their highest academic performance through our internal scholarship scheme.
Students in the Junior and Senior schools who maintain a minimum of 90% average scores consecutively for three terms are granted full tuition scholarships renewable every year.
After-school support, Mathematics and English Language clinics, hostel tutorials, and other forms of academic support are given to students with academic challenges. The school ensures a tri-partite relationship between the student, school, and parents to achieve better academic results. Promotion to the next class grade is strictly on a merit basis for students with at least 60% average scores. The school currently has over 51 students on its internal scholarship scheme.
Our school has demonstrated unalienable capability in continued high academic results in both WASSCE and IGCSE each year. Our relationship with our alumni body has also been very positive. Our students are reported to be top of their graduate and post-graduate classes and others hold enviable positions in their chosen careers. A good number of our students gain admission into Ivy League colleges abroad and graduated with First Class degrees.
CHALLENGES
What used to be our biggest challenge at the school is with the erratic supply of electricity. The lack of regular power supply by the Power Holding Company of Nigeria means that the school has had to invest heavily in alternative power supply through the use of industrial generators. This significantly affects our operating costs. More so all our facilities are fully air-conditioned and run generators almost on a 24-hour basis.
STUDENT/TEACHER RATIO
The school has a good student-teacher ratio which lies in the region of 1:6. This allows regular one-on-one interaction and easy academic and emotional support.
TECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOL AND CLASSROOMS
Closed Circuit Televisions (CCTV) are amply distributed in and around the school to ensure effective monitoring and supervision of students and staff. Additionally, all classrooms are equipped with projectors. Our building also has internet wireless connections and this enables teachers to use projectors attached to laptops to support teaching in all classes. Some classes also have LCD televisions where students are able to watch and learn from instructional videos. Students are encouraged to carry out online research for their assignments and able to gain more information from references given during classes.
LABORATORIES
The school has standard, well-equipped laboratories and special rooms. They include a Language laboratory, an Audio-visual laboratory, two Computer laboratories, a Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Home Economics, Technical Drawing, Basic Technology laboratory, and a Standard Music room respectively.
ROLE OF THE ARTS
The arts play a major role in the school curriculum both as main subjects in Junior School and also as a major part of our social interaction with Music at the heart of it. The school has a formidable school choir and orchestra, a brigade band, and one of the few schools with a steel pan band. In addition, the school produces regular in-house drama presentations and our students are also presented for art competitions in which they have won many laurels.
CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
The school encourages a lot of co-curricular activities to ensure a well-rounded education for all students. Sports activities include football, basketball, swimming, long tennis, table tennis, rugby, and athletics. Club activities include our very active Charity Club that has contributed donations both in cash and services to numerous organizations, Chess Club, Drama, Art, Home Makers, and Choir.
Students are also involved in community service. These include activities in traffic control, Mother Less Babies Home, peer tutoring at neighboring public schools and road construction. One of our students was also recently awarded the Microsoft Award as the Winner of Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 Presentation. This event was organized by ReadManna in Nigeria.
BUS SERVICES
The school has both day and boarding facilities. Our day students are assisted in getting to school with our bus services which are available at a token fee. Staff members are however offered free bus services.
BOARDING
We have day and boarding facilities with several sporting facilities to engage and encourage our students such as a swimming pool, multi purpose basketball court and football pitch. Students are allowed to be weekend boarders to foster stronger family relationships. Those who stay on Sundays attend nearby places of worship under the supervision of the House Parents. It is designed to be home away from home.
SICKBAYS
The school and hostel are equipped with standard sick bays to cater to the needs of students and staff. We have a qualified doctor and two nurses while the school also maintains a good relationship with Lifeline Children’s Hospital which is just five minutes away in the event of emergencies.
ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL SUPPORT
Dowen College has both a Counselling Psychologist and a Career Counselor to assist students with academic, social, or emotional challenges. Home Room Tutors are also assigned to each class to ensure close monitoring and support and they are equally supported by Year Tutors. This arrangement ensures that students have multiple channels of monitoring and support in any area as the need arises.
STAFF QUALIFICATION
The school has well-qualified teaching and non-teaching staff. All our teaching staff are graduates and most of them have second/post-graduate degrees. Several are also pursuing doctorate degrees in their chosen fields.
STAFF TURNOVER
The school has a very low staff turnover rate. Over 60% of our staff has been with the school for 5-15 years.
All of these have made Dowen College evolve as the real brand to beat and we happily keep it so.
