American entertainment polymath, Kanye West is launching Donda Academy, a private Christian school shrouded in secrecy, which allegedly even requires parents to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
The rapper, 45, unveiled his latest venture which is a private school named after his mother, Professor Donda West, which will be headquartered in Simi Valley in California.
According to the website, the school will ‘prepare students to become the next generation of leaders’ through ‘an ethic of integrity and care.’
Kanye West had teased the school’s launch on Instagram earlier in the month, showing pupils wearing uniforms made of his Yeezy and Gap designs.
According to reports by Rolling Stone, two sources have claimed that families have to sign a non-disclosure agreement, with Tamar Andrews, a consultant to the school, claiming it’s an ‘informal agreement’ which is only signed by the parents.
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Rolling Stone also questioned whether the principal, 28, had ever ‘held a formal position as an educator’ before joining Donda Academy, beside running her own piano, guitar and singing tutoring business.
It adds that the principal, who did not respond to an interview request according to the publication, enrolled in a master’s degree program in education at Pepperdine University in January and is due to complete the course by next August.
The school opened in late August and currently teaches just under100 students, with the website claiming classes are capped at 12 kids, with a 10:1 pupil to teacher ratio.
The school costs $15,000 a year but around half of the current intake have been awarded financial assistance or scholarships, which are largely backed by Kanye’s personal network.
Malik Yusef, a producer who has worked with Kanye for a long time and who says he helped shape the school’s concept, told Rolling Stone that the academy has been a long time coming for the rapper, who is planning to open campuses across the country as well as a Donda University if the first school is a success.
Malik explained:
‘I want to be emphatic that there’s never been a time that Kanye West did not want to do this. I think people don’t understand the gravity of that.
‘This man always wanted to create a school in his mama’s name … Look at what we’re doing with the choir and the fashion in school — I don’t think there’s a venture capitalist or anybody that’s had a vision this clear on what education can look like for you.’
The Donda Academy is not yet accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, but has applied and will get their first visit in December.
The accreditation will ensure graduating high schoolers’ credits and diplomas will be accepted by colleges.
