Mayflower School

Mayflower School
Mayflower Secondary School, Ikenne, Ogun State
Location
Ikenne , Ogun State Nigeria
Information
Motto	Knowledge is Light
Established	27 January 1956 (1956-01-27)
Founder	Tai Solarin
Gender	coeducational
Number of students	ca. 1,000
Website	mayflowerprivateschool.com

Mayflower School was founded on 27 January 1956 by Tai Solarin,^[1] a Nigerian educator, humanist and civil rights pioneer. Solarin was married to Sheila Mary Tuer, an English woman; they had two children Corin and Tunde Solarin. The school is located on 90 acres of land in Ikenne, Ogun State, Nigeria. It is 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 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 physical exercise including 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 alumni includes the first national female chemical engineer.^[2]