The Enugu State Government has issued the immediate closure of all private schools at basic and post-basic levels functioning in the state without the written approval of the state’s ministry of education.
This latest mandate according to the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Uche Eze, has been a long time coming after the continuous springing up of substandard private schools in the state without the private institutions duly registering and obtaining the approval of the ministry as was required by the law.
Prof. Eze stressed that without the proper registration and approval, the state government could not guarantee or assure the state of infrastructure or the quality of teaching and learning offered in those schools.
The education commissioner has gone on to advise all the affected persons and schools to abide strictly by the directive reporting that “the state government shall, two weeks from the date of this announcement, embark on the forcible closure of any defaulting school, prosecute and punish any person or group of persons still flouting the directive.”
Prof. Ezeh additionally advised the proprietors and promoters of private schools “to remember that it is a criminal offense punishable upon conviction with imprisonment or fine or even both for any individual to establish, open, or publish any advertisement in connection with any private school in the state without the written approval of the state’s ministry of education or run, manage or teach in any of such unapproved school or institution.”
The general public has been urged to note the illegal operation of private schools in Enugu State and to do the needful.
