The state’s illegal school proliferation has drawn criticism from the Ebonyi Government, which has issued a cease-and-desist order to those behind the cause.
This was disclosed in a statement released in Ebonyi on Sunday by Mr. Peter Nwogbaga, Senior Special Assistant on Secondary Education to Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi.
This was reportedly stated by Nwogbaga on Saturday during his inspection of a few schools in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area.
He said the situation had become worrisome in the state, while blaming “churches for supporting rising cases of illegal schools and individuals and groups to desist from the act.”
“Even the church are not helping the matter as they have turned every available space in the church premises into classrooms.
“I therefore call on the propriators of the unapproved private schools to identify with the Ministry of Education officials to guide them on how to establish standard schools and get approvals,” Nwogbaga said.
Mrs. Ifoma Agwu, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Primary Education, stated that keeping children outside or in unapproved places during school hours is completely inappropriate.
Agwu issued a warning against the establishment of unapproved schools and stated that the state government would not permit any illegal schools to continue operating in this manner anywhere in the state.
The inspection’s purpose, according to Mr. Tony Ngwuta, Director of Quality Assurance, Ministry of Education, was to sanitise the private school system.
Shalom Nursery and Primary School, Cathedral Methodist Nursery and Primary School, Holy Family Nursery and Primary School, Christian Child Nursery and Primary School, and other schools were among those that were closed in the meantime.
The proprietors of the affected schools, however, maintained that their headquarters had obtained approval from the government to operate schools on their church grounds.