Akwa Ibom govt shuts illegal schools, proprietors face prosecution

The Akwa Ibom State Government has intensified its crackdown on illegal private schools, sealing several unlicensed institutions across the state and ordering the arrest of defaulting proprietors who attempted to defy the directive.

The Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ubong Essien, who led the enforcement taskforce, disclosed that while many operators complied with the state’s directive to shut down, some proprietors illegally unsealed their premises and resumed academic activities.

Angered by the development, Prof. Essien ordered the arrest and detention of the offenders, who are now awaiting prosecution.

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“During the ministry’s regular monitoring exercise, it was observed that while several operators of unauthorized private schools had obeyed the directive, a few chose to defy the order and continued with academic activities,” he said.

He warned parents and guardians across urban and rural communities against enrolling their children in unregistered institutions, insisting that the state-wide exercise would continue throughout the school year.

“The Ministry of Education reiterates its stance on the closure of unauthorized and rogue schools. This exercise is aimed at standardising educational delivery across the state, ensuring compliance with approved standards, and ridding our educational system of substandard institutions that compromise the future of children in Akwa Ibom State,” Prof. Essien stressed.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE