The Enugu State Government has launched a crackdown on illegally operated and low-quality schools.
This move aims to eradicate poor education and skill deficits, raising the state’s educational standards, the state Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ndubueze Mbah, has disclosed in a statement issued on Saturday through the governor’s media office.
Mbah said that illicit schools exploiting parents without providing quality education will no longer be tolerated in the state. “Registration and approval are now mandatory”.
He emphasised that the government is committed to raising education standards, ensuring competent teachers, adherence to curriculum, conducive learning environments, and safety measures.
He condemns the proliferation of illegal schools that exploit parents without providing quality education, often with unqualified teachers and hazardous conditions.
To address this, the ministry directed all educational institutions to register and obtain approval before operating, he said. “The government engaged stakeholders to sensitize them about its policies and the need for education to align with global best practices. This includes acquiring 21st-century skills and modern workforce knowledge to compete globally.
“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.
