Company Profile:
The Modern Montessori School, of which I am Principal, is a private school affiliated with the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) and accredited by the International Centre for Montessori Education. It was established in 1985 and is built on a 24,000 m2 piece of land. It is designed to meet international standards in school requirements.
It offers a bilingual English/Arabic curriculum for grades 1 – 8, a specially formulated pre-IB curriculum for grades 9 + 10 and IB curriculum for grades 11 + 12.
The Modern Montessori School is dedicated to distinction in advancing the development and education of children from age three through to high school. It offers a low pupil/teacher ratio, a highly qualified professional faculty and a balanced curriculum, which emphasises academic preparation in the main subjects, such as mathematics, languages, sciences and social sciences. In addition, art, music, physical education and computer literacy play an integrated role in the curriculum. The school provides a nurturing environment for the personal and intellectual development of each child. It encourages a high level of co-operative planning, teaching and evaluation, designed to produce success in advancing the learning process of the students.
In 2001, the International Centre for Montessori Education was inaugurated, of which I am Chairperson. The ICME promotes the Montessori method of education worldwide through franchise packages (KG-Grade12), workshops, accreditation and on-line training. Worldwide interest, particularly from the Middle East and the United States of America, has been generated by the innovative and comprehensive packages offered by the ICME, and workshops have been held in countries such as Syria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
How did you start your business?
I established my first Kindergarten in Amman in 1985, having developed a keen interest in early childhood education, in general, and in the Montessori method in particular. The KG was a great success and parents, who wanted a similar quality of education for their children after they left KG, convinced me to expand, initially into primary school education and subsequently into the internationally recognised high-school which exists today.
Identifying a need for well-qualified teachers, in 1988 I established the Amman Montessori Centre, a teacher training college offering specially devised courses leading to an internationally recognised diploma. In response to international interest in the programmes offered, I established the ICME in 2001.
When you first started your business, were you expecting that it would become not only your full-time occupation, but also a growing company?
Certainly not. Although I was always ambitious, I never dreamt that my modest KG would develop into an internationally recognised institution.
What is the most rewarding thing you have accomplished and why do you cite it above all your other accomplishments?
The most rewarding factor of my career is definitely the pride and satisfaction I derive from seeing the success my students have made of their lives. Children who entered my Nursery School at the age of three years are now qualified doctors, engineers and bankers, amongst other things. I never cease to be gratified by the fact that I have been allowed to play a part in the realisation of their dreams.
What were the biggest challenges you faced as an entrepreneur and how did you overcome them?
Probably the most challenging aspects of establishing an educational institution in Jordan are related to complying with or circumventing government bureaucracy. Attitudes towards education are changing radically these days, but at the time when I established the school, innovation was regarded with some suspicion and developing a bilingual curriculum and an educational programme from which my students could derive maximum benefit whilst, at the same time, ensuring that all Ministry of Education requirements were met, was something of a Herculean task. With time, we were able to find officials within the Ministry who were receptive to new ideas and who ultimately became supportive of our policies.
What do you think it takes to be successful in the industry your company competes it?
I believe that honesty and dedication are the most important attributes which are needed for success. The “industry” in which I work does not only involve providing an academic education to our students; our goal is to provide an all-round education, developing latent leadership qualities and instilling ethical and moral values in the coming generations.
What advice would you give to those contemplating starting their own business?
The success of any business is ultimately dependent upon the quality and calibre of the people who work in it. I believe it is extremely important to invest in staff upon whose loyalty and integrity you can wholly depend. It is equally important to remember that loyalty and allegiance must be earned; all staff must be treated with the respect and appreciation they deserve at all times.
What is the question I did not ask, but should have?
Maybe you would be interested in my plans for the future. I am very excited about my newest venture to establish a chain of Kindergartens, offering the highest quality Montessori education, in the Arabian Gulf region, where such facilities are currently sadly lacking.
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