Ebonyi seals 26 schools operating in shanties, arrest owners

From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo

Twenty six schools have been sealed by the Ebonyi State Government for operating illegally.

They operated in all manner of place like church halls, shanties, farms, uncompleted buildings and other non-conducive environments.

The enforcement was carried out by the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Francis Nwifuru on Secondary Education, Peter Nwogbaga and Special Assistant to the Governor on Primary Education, Ifeoma Agwu.

They described the 26 private schools which were closed at Onueke Ezza, South Local Government Area in Ebonyi Central Senatorial District, as illegal and substandard.

Nwogbaga declared that schools in the church halls were permanently sealed and called on church leaders who wished to run private schools to obtain land site and proceed to the Ministry of Education for necessary approvals.

He condemned the attitude of establishing schools in non-conducive places and emphasised that the committee would visit every community in the state to close schools operating illegally.

The SSA on Primary Education, Agwu, stated that the governor has education as a priority and would not like Ebonyi child to be subjected to poor learning environment.

The Treasurer of National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) in Ebonyi State, Sunday Agbo, who represented the State NAPPS Chairman, Felix Nome and the body’s Chairman in Ezza South LGA, Uchenna Nwafor, commended the efforts of Governor Nwifuru for bringing sanity to schools in the state.

Some school proprietors were also arrested for contravening the law.