Experts in education will tell you that the education industry is a social service. This is very true but it does not follow the idea that the investor in the industry of social service will not make a decent return on investment. Investing in education can be a gold mine for the innovative and smart entrepreneur. A close look at the companies and entrepreneurs below will reveal that investing in education can be very rewarding.
Pearson Group
Pearson Group is based in the UK. This huge company is a world leader in the publication of educational books and CDs. The Pearson Group goes back a long way. This company has its headquarters in the UK but it operates in over 70countries across the globe. Pearson generates about 60% of its sales in North America and has a very strong presence in Africa and Asia. In the former British colonies of Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and the Gambia, Pearson is the most influential publisher of textbook, CDs, and other educational materials.
Pearson Education runs a very profitable operation and has ploughed back some of its profits into social responsibility projects.
Recently, Pearson launched a £10m fund directed at affordable education in some African and Asian countries. This is a great move because it will help more pupils and students get decent education in low-cost private schools in these continents. In other parts of the world, Pearson donates computers and educational CDs to schools in remote areas. All these have made the company very popular in the areas in which they operate.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is one entrepreneur who does not quite require a biography. This great talk show guru made headlines in January 2007 when she founded the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in Johannesburg, South Africa. At that time, some pessimists were of the view that the $40 million invested by this entrepreneur in a single project would have been used for a number of small projects across the poor continent of Africa. Today, those pessimists have eaten their words. In January 2013, the first set of high school graduates from this institution recorded unprecedented success. Oprah’s vision and the hard work of the students paid off because all 72 graduates received full scholarships to study courses at university level. The students in this institution can look forward to more success because the school is doing an excellent job in training future leaders.
Zinox Computers
In most parts of Nigeria, computers are not available for the average citizen. In the places where these devices can be found, the prices are beyond the reach of the average citizen. This is why the efforts of Zinox Computers need to be commended.
This firm was founded by the Nigerian entrepreneur, Leo Stan Ekeh. Zinox specializes in providing low cost laptop computers to high school and college students in Nigeria. These computers come with educational programs and full-strength batteries and are a great asset in a country where power supply is erratic and unreliable. The great thing about these products is that brand new laptops can be purchased for less than $300.This is truly great for a relatively new Nigerian company.
Omega Schools
In Ghana, one private institution has transformed education completely and broken a number of records in the process. This school is Omega Schools and Ken Donkoh and James Tooley founded it in 2009. Ken Donkoh is a Ghanaian entrepreneur while James Tooley is a professor of education policy at Newcastle University in the UK. The great thing about Omega schools is that it aims at providing affordable good quality education to poor children in different parts of Ghana. School fees are very low and there is an innovative pay-as-you-learn policy in place to help students whose parents earn small incomes daily.
So far the school has 21 schools and a population of about 12,000 pupils. Omega Schools intends to have a population of 200,000 in 2021 and from every indication, it will achieve this objective. Already, Omega Schools has partnered with Pearson Education so there are great days ahead for this innovative institution.
The four companies above are success stories. These companies have proved that there are huge prospects in the education industry. Invest in education and you will make big money and provide great service into the bargain.
About the Author: Ryan Ayers is a writer and blogger who produces informative articles in the field of education. This articles explains successful entrepreneurial projects related to this field and encourages further study with a Masters in Education Online.