21st October, 2022
The Abia Government has announced the closure of seven private schools in Aba, Abia for allegedly operating illegally and in an unfriendly environment.
This is contained in a statement issued by Commissioner for Basic Education, Chief Emma Ukwu, in Aba on Friday.
The schools, he said, are Bethesda House International School, 42 Owerri Road off Okigwe Road Aba, Lily Brains International School, 57 Erondu Street. Aba, Conquering Ground international School, 35 7up Road Ogbor Hill Aba.
Others are the Presbyterian Academy, 35 Glass industry Extension, 7up Area Ogbor Hill, Aba, Shade of Mercy International School, Fruitful Ground Christian School, Aba and His Mercies Christian Academy, St Eugene Road Aba.
Ukwu urged the parents and guardians of pupils of the shut schools to immediately withdraw their children from those schools.
He said that sabotaging this order by the proprietors of closed schools would earn such persons blacklisting in educational circles in Abia.
The commissioner further said that defaulting school proprietors might also be prosecuted and urged every resident to rid the state of the cankerworm of quack schools.
He also directed the closure of all private schools operating illegally in the state.
He said the decision followed the Abia government’s resolve to sanitize the education industry by ensuring the proper establishment and running of schools.
He said that for a school to operate in Abia, the proprietors of such schools must guarantee enabling teaching and learning environment and proper certification.
Ukwu said the government observed with dismay, that some irresponsible individuals were running schools without obtaining requisite approval from the Commissioner’s office.
He said that henceforth, approvals obtained but later compromised through lowering of standards shall be automatically withdrawn.
He directed all genuine proprietors to display copies of approval instruments publicly and show original copies to education ministry officials on demand.
The commissioner advised every school, as a matter of urgency, to cue into the Electronic Portal of the Ministry for authentication and easy operations.
He said the ministry would no more allow half-measures as it would continue to clamp down on erring schools.