Tough times await thousands of parents and guardians in Rivers State, whose children and wards attend any of the 437 private schools banned by the Rivers Government, through State Ministry of Education from resuming for the second term 2019/2020 academic session on Monday, 6 January, 2020.
Ahead of the resumption of schools, the Rivers Government had banned 437 unaccredited and unapproved private schools from reopening for next Academic session and also to cease operating in the state.
Our Correspondent who has been following the event reports that if the state government goes ahead with its threat, most students and pupils will be forced out of school due to inability to secure admission and few schools available to absorb children to be displaced from schools.
The affected 437 schools did not scale through the laid out criteria set by the State Ministry of Education which was handed down to the Committee led by Professor Ozo Mekuri Ndimele, the Vice-Chancellor of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education to screen, accredit and approve schools to operate.
After the screening exercise, the Committee had in its report denied accreditation/approval to 437 schools, which did not meet set requirements for the operations of private schools, a move designed to improve quality education in the state.
The state now insists that unapproved schools remain banned and should not operate.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike had set up a Committee for accreditation and approval of Private schools.
The Committee, led by Ndimele, in its report denied accreditation/approval to 437 schools, which did not meet set requirements for the operations of private schools.
Subsequently, the state government directed that all schools denied approval should discontinue operations forthwith.
The state Commissioner for Education, Professor Kaniye Ebeku, speaking on the resumption of schools said on Friday that the directive on the ban of unapproved schools still subsisted.
Ebeku advised parents and guardians of pupils and students not to patronize unapproved schools, adding that such schools were illegal and should not resume.
He warned that anyone caught operating unapproved schools in the state would face appropriate sanctions of the law.
The Education Commissioner further said that the Rivers State Government has made adequate provisions for the maintenance and functioning of public schools in the state, and cautioned heads of public primary and secondary schools in the state not collect any fee from pupils and students, stating that any Principal or Head teacher that violated the directive would face appropriate disciplinary measures.1
signaturetv.org/pmnewsnigeria/IJM