From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
The Kogi State Government has began the closure of substandard schools operating illegally in the state.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the exercise in Lokoja, the state’s Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Wemi Jones, said the ministry had been empowered by law to close down any illegal school in the state.
Jones, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Pastor Emmanuel Idenyi, said Kogi State Education law came into effect in 2020 which empowered the ministry to close down any substandard and illegal schools operating across the state.
We are surprise that these kind of schools are still in existence in Kogi State, this is an eyesore
”Our team of directors were here yesterday to officially serve the school the letter of closure, but the proprietress refused to collect the letter.
”This is not acceptable, we cannot allow our children to be kept under this harsh condition all in the name of learning.
”We have put a seal of closure on the school and it remained sealed, closed until the owner of the school come to the ministry to do the needful”,
He stressed that until the schools fulfilled the ministry’s conditions for schools’ operations in the state, the sealed schools would remained closed.
According to him, there is a taskforce already set up by the ministry that is going round and the exercise would continue until we achieve our goals.
He, therefore advised owners of other substandard schools operating in illegally in the state to be ready for the same exercise.
He added: ”any school operating illegally in the state should get itself closed down or do the needful before we get to them”.
He stressed that the government could not continue to allow the children to be learning under such harsh condition, saying,”it is unfair and wickedness on the part of school owners; it is not acceptable!”
The closed schools were Abundant Life Academy Nursery and Primary Schoool, Felele, Knowledge Academy, Zango, among others
Our Correspondent reports that the proprietors of some other schools were advised to report at ministry on Thursday.