Behind every school there is a story, and the story of Palmville Schools history begins long before the first classroom opened in Ipaja. It begins with a young woman who loved children, trained abroad to teach them better, and spent decades building places where they could grow.
This is the story of how a day nursery in Idumota became two schools in Gowon Estate, and of the values that have travelled with the schools every step of the way.
Palmville Schools history: the founder’s journey
Palmville was founded by the late Olori Chief (Mrs.) Caroline Ayodele Bello Bankole, known across Lagos as “Iya Ewe of Lagos”, which means Mother of Children. The title said everything about her life’s work. She believed deeply that how a child is treated in the first years shapes the adult they become.
In the 1970s she trained in the Montessori method at St. Nicholas College in England. That training, with its respect for the child as an active learner, stayed with her throughout her career. She returned to Nigeria determined to put those ideas to work for Nigerian families.
Agalaji Day Nursery and Boarding School
Her first school was Agalaji Day Nursery in Idumota, a busy part of Lagos Island. It gave working families a safe, caring place for their youngest children, with learning built into the day.
Later she founded Agalaji Boarding School at Pedro, Gbagada, widening her work from nursery care to a fuller education. Together these two schools show a pattern that runs through her life: begin with the youngest children, listen to what families need, and keep building.
Many of the habits parents now associate with Palmville, such as patient teaching, close attention to each child and an emphasis on good character, trace their roots to those early Agalaji years.
There is a lesson here for any parent choosing a school. A school’s culture is rarely invented overnight. It grows from the convictions of the people who started it, and it is passed on through the teachers who share those convictions. When you visit a school, it is worth asking how long its core values have guided its daily life, and whether staff can describe them in their own words rather than reading them from a wall.
The same applies to the young people who grow up in such a place. Children absorb the atmosphere of a school long before they understand its mission statement, and an atmosphere built on patience tends to produce pupils who are patient with themselves and with others.
Building in Gowon Estate
In 1985 she bought two acres of land in Gowon Estate, Ipaja. It was a long-term decision. The land would become the home of two schools, each with its own purpose and its own age group.
Palmville Children School, our nursery and primary school, was founded in 1989. Palmville College, our secondary school covering junior and senior secondary classes, followed in 1999. Between them they allow a child to begin in nursery and continue all the way to the end of secondary school on one familiar campus, learning from a blended Nigerian and British curriculum.
The motto she chose, “Patience & Wisdom”, expresses the philosophy: “Through patience and wisdom, we mould children to become leaders.”
The legacy continues
The founder died in 2020. Her legacy lives on through the schools she built and the children who have passed through them, and the schools are now run by her daughters, Mrs. Abimbola Imaduerie and Mrs. Bintu Kennedy.
Since 2020 the schools have continued to grow. The playground has been renovated, murals brighten the walls, teachers have received laptops, early years classes have gained Chromebooks, tablets and sensory toys, and a new school bus and security post have been added. The college’s Physics, Chemistry and Biology laboratories were also renovated in 2020–21.
Yet the heart of the school has not changed: truthfulness, respect, humility and the fear of God in the primary school; integrity, excellence, service, entrepreneurship and sustainability in the college. You can learn more on our About page, meet the people who lead today on the management page, or arrange a visit to see the campus for yourself.
Frequently asked questions
When were the Palmville schools founded?
Palmville Children School, the nursery and primary school, was founded in 1989, and Palmville College, the secondary school, in 1999.
Why was the founder called Iya Ewe of Lagos?
The title means Mother of Children and reflects a lifetime devoted to the care and education of children.
Who runs Palmville Schools today?
The schools are run by the founder’s daughters, Mrs. Abimbola Imaduerie and Mrs. Bintu Kennedy.
A school’s history tells you what it was built to do. Palmville was built by a teacher and mother figure who trusted patience, wisdom and love to raise good citizens, and that purpose still guides every classroom today.