The Rivers State government says it has concluded plans to ban all unapproved schools operating in the state with effect from September this year.
State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Kaniye Ebeku disclosed this when he led members of the Rivers state House of Assembly Committee on Education on an inspection of ongoing rehabilitation work at Government Girls Secondary School, Rumuokwuta in company of officials of the state Ministry of Education.
Prof. Ebeku said about five thousand illegal private schools are operating in the state.
He said that publications will be done in both National and local papers in the coming days with the full names of the affected schools.
According to Ebeku, “We found that there are so many unapproved quacks schools operating in the state and this is not acceptable for many reasons. They deliver poor quality education and because they are operating underground they are not paying required taxes as legitimate approved organizations.
“We would not want this to continue anymore which is why we want them seize operations.”
Chairman of Rivers State House of Assembly Committee on Education, Farah Dagogo pledged the commitment of the state lawmakers to partner the state ministry of education to ensure the maintenance of all schools infrastructure currently under rehabilitation by the Rivers State government.
Dagogo said the Assembly will help to sustain the maintenance of infrastructure in the Education sector of the state.