Despite the dilapidated infrastructural facilities in public schools across Enugu State, the Governor Peter Mbah-led administration has said it has identified and closed down some low-quality and illegal private schools in the state.
SaharaReporters had reported on Friday that despite Governor Peter Mbah’s “Smart Schools” programme, many public secondary schools in Enugu State face alarming conditions.
In a statement on Saturday the state Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ndubueze Mbah, announced that the government has commenced the enforcement of educational policies which has led to the closure of some illegally run and low quality schools, stressing that the move will rid the state of poor-quality education and skill deficiency.
He said the deliberate efforts were aimed at strengthening and improving the quality of education in the state.
The statement issued by the governor’s media office, quoted Prof Mbah, to have spoken on Friday, during the enforcement exercise, vowing that the government would not compromise its determination to raise the bar of education in the state.
He described as worrisome and unacceptable the proliferation of illegal schools across the state where unscrupulous proprietors rip off parents of resources without providing commensurate quality education for their children.
The government noted that some schools parade unqualified teachers while cramping children in dilapidated structures which put their lives in danger.
The exercise followed an earlier directive by the ministry requiring all operators of educational institutions across the basic and secondary school levels to comply with the state regulations, which mandate registration and approval by the ministry before commencing operation.
“You will recall that we held extensive stakeholders’ engagements with practitioners, both public and private in the education sector. We sensitized our people about the state government’s educational policies and how education must align with the most advanced global practices if our children can have a chance to acquire 21st Century skills and modern workforce knowledge, to be able to compete with their global peers.
“Pursuant to the law which allows us to maintain minimum standards of education for both private and public schools, and also empowers our ministry to streamline and enhance effective administration, monitoring and supervision of private schools, we gave the grace of four months for all schools yet to register or obtain provisional licenses to do so. The four-month window period for schools to align with these directives has elapsed prompting our ministry to begin the enforcement on non-compliant schools. We are doing this to checkmate abuses and restore the dignity of education in our state,” the commissioner said.
According to him, the team has discovered several schools that had been operating under life-threatening conditions, subjecting children to unsafe and unhealthy learning environments, insisting that some of the structures housing the school children could collapse at any time.
He lamented that some of the schools visited were operating under open-roof, fallen rafters and severely cracked walls housing hundreds of pupils under abysmal learning environment, saying they were in complete disregard of the rules guiding the establishment and management of educational institutions.
Some of the illegal schools that were shut down included Evangel School where students were crammed inside a little church with barricades, and concealed in toilets when the management saw the ministry’s enforcement team; Ivory Education Centre, located along Owerri Road, Asata, which was conducting classes in makeshift garages and amid a structure under construction; Eastview Nursery and Primary School at Railway Quarters, Njemanze, which is a dilapidated barn; St. Michael Nursery and Primary School, Asata; St. Bartholomew Nursery, Primary, and Secondary School, Asata; and Olive Grove Nursery and Primary Academy, Njemanze.
Speaking on the closures, Prof. Mbah reiterated government’s bullish stance against substandard education, warning that operators of illegal and substandard institutions risked imprisonment under the state laws. “The safety and quality of education our children receive must be prioritized. We will not allow any school to operate below the required minimum standards. This is about the future of our state, and we owe it to our children to give them the best foundation,” he added.
The commissioner, who also reassured law-abiding schools that their compliance with the law and policy of the state will continue to be reciprocated with the right support by the government, urged the public to report any unregistered or substandard schools within their communities to help maintain the integrity of education across the state.
Saharareporters
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