Enugu Clamps Down On Illegal Schools

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Enugu State Government at the weekend sealed several Nursery ,Primary and secondary Schools believed to be operating under substandard and inhuman conditions, mainly in  Enugu the State capital.

The State authorities said the clamp down is to arrest the ugly trend of unapproved and substandard educational institutions compromising quality.

The State Commissioner for Education, Professor  Ndubeze Mbah, who personally led the closure of such schools as Evangel School, Asata and Eastview Nursery and primary School at the Railway Quarters Njemanze, Ivory Education Centre on Owerri Road, and  St. Michael Nursery and Secondary Schools Asata, informed that the affected institutions were operating under an abysmal standard and learning environment.

According to the Commissioner, most of the schools visited  were operating without roofs on their buildings, cracked walls and severe dilapidation which, he  noted, constitute  a serious danger to the lives of the pupils and students.

Similarly, Professor Mbah regretted that most private schools in the State are operating in total disregard of the extant rules, guidelines and regulations as spelt out by the Ministry of Education.

He noted that Government, before now, had directed all schools operating in the State to register with, and secure the approval of all relevant regulatory bodies, particularly the Education Ministry.

He insisted that the decision to wield the big stick, resulted from the failure of the schools to adhere to the registration order.

He stated that it is mandatory for all schools operating in the State to  comply with the regulations, part of which demands registration and approval by the Ministry of Education.

“We sensitized our people on the State Government’s education policy 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 and be able to compete with their global peers.

“We gave them (private schools) four months grace period to register and get approval. Yet most of them failed to do so.

We are doing this (sealing of their premises) to checkmate abuses and restore the dignity of the system in our state”, Professor Mba stated.

The Education Commission who, also, noted that most of the illegal schools are making use of unqualified teachers, vowed that the Enugu State Government will not sit by idly and watch the unmitigated erosion of its educational standard.

He decried the unbridled establishment of unregistered and unapproved schools in the state by unscrupulous elements, noting that such an ugly trend is totally unacceptable.

He warned that the State Government will not, under any guise, compromise its decision to ensure total compliance with all the extant rules and guidelines governing qualitative education in the State.