Ebonyi shuts 3,200 illegal schools

From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki

Ebonyi state government has closed a total of 3,200 illegal schools across the state.

Commissioner for Education in the state, Dr. Donatus Ilang disclosed this to journalists in Abakaliki, the state capital on Monday.

He said the schools were operating under the tree, uncompleted building and other non-conducive environment for teaching and learning.

He said the government has set up surveillance team to monitor the closed schools and esure that their operators don’t re-open them after the closure.

Ilang opined that the closure of illegal and unapproved schools in the state, has elevated educational standard in the state.

“Before now, you will see people prioritized what I can call mushroom schools and it is not even school because they don’t have school structures.

“Somebody who is operating under the tree and said he has school, is it what you call school?

“Somebody who is using one of his rooms in his apartment as school, uncompleted building.

“Away from this, you will see that their teachers are nothing to write home about. Some of them are primary and secondary school leavers teaching in those illegal structures they are calling schools.

“They are lay down rules for establishment of schools backed by law.008 of 2018 in the state.

“Before you establish any school, you must get what is called site approval and that site approval certifies the number of plot for you to establish school.

“But people will stay in a room, in the church,  uncompleted building, under the tree and call it school. We have closed 3,200 of them”, he said..