Parents, Ebonyi Govt Bicker Over Shutdown Of Illegal, Unapproved Schools

Parents of schoolhouse children crossed the 13 section authorities areas of Ebonyi State and officials of the State Ministry of Education, (Primary and Secondary) person disagreed implicit the closure of implicit 85 amerciable and unapproved superior and secondary schools successful the state.

The authorities government, successful its caller acquisition policy, has commenced the closure of illegal, substandard, and unapproved schools crossed the state, starring to the disengagement of respective teachers, the apprehension of proprietors, and the non-refund of schoolhouse fees paid by parents, arsenic good arsenic the task of caller schoolhouse registration for parents.

Some of the parents who spoke to LEADERSHIP Friday expressed sadness connected the timing of the caller Policy insisting that specified policies should person been communicated to parents aboriginal capable and earlier the commencement of the caller world term.

A parent, Mr Chukwu Onwe, said the timing was wrong. “How tin you commencement closing schools a week aft the commencement of a caller world term? Some of america had already paid schoolhouse fees successful mentation for the commencement.

“There was nary vigor announcement indicating the unapproved schools, that would person helped america to reconsider registering our children successful those schools. It is an unfortunate concern that has near galore parents frustrated and disenchanted.”

Another parent, Mrs Ifeoma Nwuzor, lamented that the proprietors of the unapproved schools refused to marque an effort to refund the schoolhouse fees paid to them by parents and called for the involution of the authorities government.

“The Catholic Bishop of Abakaliki diocese directed heads of each the unapproved schools owned by the religion to refund the fees paid by parents, which they carried out, but, unfortunately, different proprietors person vehemently refused to refund parents their money.

“We are present forced to marque treble outgo and treble registration. Many of the backstage schools person besides hiked their schoolhouse fees due to the fact that of the caller influx to their antithetic schools.”

LEADERSHIP Friday gathered that successful Ezza North section authorities country of the state, much than 49 schools were shutdown and 5 schoolhouse proprietors arrested by the taskforce squad successful the section government.

The president of Ezza North LGA, Moses Ogodo-Ali successful an interrogation with LEADERSHIP Friday said that the schoolhouse closure is simply a argumentation of authorities successful the authorities that each amerciable and unapproved schools should beryllium shutdown.

“There is simply a argumentation of authorities successful the authorities that each amerciable schools should beryllium closed. And I americium a antheral who respects authorities policies. When it was introduced to maine and I was besides informed that it is besides connected aerial that amerciable schools indispensable beryllium closed down, we had to obey authorities directive.

I instantly gave support that the committee acceptable up by the Ministry of Education should spell up and bash their work. This they did, due to the fact that the schools were illegally operating successful the areas”.

Chief Ogodo-Ali warned against  politicizing the argumentation insisting that the determination is to sanitize the acquisition strategy successful the state. “Many radical bash not travel owed process successful opening a school. If you travel the owed process of opening a school, nary 1 volition adjacent specified schools.”

A subordinate of the Taskforce Team, Mr. Elom Solomon an acquisition supervisor successful Ezza North LGA said: “We acted successful enactment with the authorities authorities directive to food retired each the unapproved schools and the quack schools, particularly those schools that are successful the village.

“Some of them are successful the unfastened hall, immoderate of them are successful 1 room. So, that’s what we’re doing to marque definite that the government’s argumentation is implemented.

We can’t clampdown connected immoderate schoolhouse that meets up with the modular of the argumentation of acquisition successful Ebonyi State,” helium stated.

The acquisition caput successful Ezza North LGA, Mr Nwonuku Francis, said: “We closed down 49 schools successful Ezza North LGA due to the fact that they are substandard. They are unapproved schools.

“Some of the schoolhouse proprietors are already successful the constabulary nets. The caller argumentation has been connected air, truthful anyone saying that they weren’t informed is being economical with the truth. It is nary longer concern arsenic usual.

This contiguous medication is determined to guarantee that the modular of acquisition successful the State improves. We privation to beryllium fig 1 successful everything and to execute that we indispensable amended connected the modular of each of the authorities policy.”

He advised parents to registry their wards successful the authorities approved schools.