Mayflower School

For other schools, see Mayflower (disambiguation) § Schools.
Mayflower School
Mayflower Secondary School, Ikenne, Ogun State
Mayflower Secondary School, Ikenne, Ogun State
Location
Map
Ikenne
,
Ogun State

Nigeria
Information
MottoKnowledge is Light
Established27 January 1956 (1956-01-27)
FounderTai Solarin
Gendercoeducational
Number of studentsca. 1,000
Websitemayflowerprivateschool.com

Mayflower School was founded on 27 January 1956 by Tai Solarin,[1] a Nigerian educator, humanist and civil rights pioneer, who was married to Sheila Mary Tuer, an English woman; they had two children Corin and Tunde Solarin. The school is located on a vast piece of land in Ikenne, Ogun State, Nigeria. It is a 90 acres of land school. Named after the historical Mayflower ship that brought the first batch of pilgrims to the United States. Like the pilgrims, Solarin founded the school in personal rebellion against religious persecution.

Mayflower preaches a very strong educational philosophy grounded in self-reliance, self-sacrifice, public service and physical toughness. In Solarin's words, the students must be "rugged." Since the school was first established, in the boarding house, female students are forbidden from using any form of cosmetics. A rigorous, military-style living regimen requires that every student wake up at 5:00 am for a round of moderate physical exercise which involved running and in-field stretches. In his days, Dr. Solarin would often be the first to show up for these exercises. He urged his students to always "lead by example."

The school's motto is “Knowledge is Light” and it is noted for the outstanding quality of its graduates, many of whom are leaders in Nigeria and abroad.

Every student is taught the basics of rudimentary and mechanized farming as part of a well rounded, self-sustaining education.

The students wear a uniform styled after Tai Solarin's trademark apparel —simple khaki shorts and short-sleeve shirts. This applies to both male and female students. Graduates of the school are called "Ex-Mays."

The school's sound academic reputation has produced a long record of achievements, including the first national female chemical engineer.[2]

  1. ^ "Tai Solarin's Widow, Sheila, Dies". Sahara Reporters. 2012-10-21. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  2. ^ "Mayflower School is 60". NigerianEye. January 20, 2016. Retrieved 2019-01-24. Mayflower produced Mrs. Modupe Kazeem, the first national female Chemical Engineer