494 illegal Schools Discovered in Ebonyi State

Oct 3rd, 2011 – A committee set up by the Ebonyi Ministry of Education to check the activities of illegal schools has discovered 494 of such schools in the state.

The State Commissioner for Education, Mr Ndubisi Agbo, told newsmen on Sunday that the committee’s investigations revealed the existence of 166 illegal nursery schools, 205 illegal primary schools and 123 illegal secondary schools in the state.

“These schools are substandard because their inauguration did not follow due process while they lack the necessary facilities and manpower to ensure effective learning,” Agbo said.

He remarked that the State Government would take drastic actions against such schools to serve as a deterrent to others.

“The committee which identified these schools had been working since the past one year, so I am setting up another one to re-valuate the activities of the old one,” he said. “The re-evaluation became necessary due to the fact that most of these schools would have complied with the due process of registration and upgraded facilities and manpower.”

He noted that the new committee, just as the old one, was equitably cnstituted to ensure that none of the schools is victimised.

“It consists of the Permanent Secretary/Head of Department-Inspectorate Division of the Education Ministry; National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (Ebonyi chapter) and representative of the Ministry of Justice,” he said. “We also incorporated representatives of the Catholic Missions and those of Pentecostal/other orthodox churches, Muslim community, among others.”

He said the committee “has 30 days to carry out its assignment and has been empowered within this period to close down any school that still does not meet up with the stipulated requirements”.

Reiterating the state government’s commitment to uplifting the standard of education in the state through qualitative and quantitative teaching, Agbo said: “We would always collaborate with private schools in ensuring that the educational fortunes of the state are improved.” (Daily times)