Cross River Warns School Proprietors Against Unauthorised Reopening
THE Cross River Government has shut down 58 unapproved schools in four local government areas as it intensifies efforts to enforce standards across the education sector.
The Commissioner for Education, Prof. Stephen Odey, disclosed this in Calabar on Saturday. He said the ministry’s Department of Quality Assurance had stepped up its crackdown on schools operating without Approval to Operate (ATO).
The exercise has affected schools in Calabar South, Calabar Municipality, Odukpani and Yakurr local government areas. Meanwhile, the government plans to extend the enforcement campaign across all 18 local government areas in the state.
According to Odey, the operation forms part of the government’s efforts to enforce education regulations and maintain acceptable standards for teaching and learning. He added that the exercise would help protect pupils and ensure that schools provide safe and conducive learning environments.
Odey stressed that the government would not compromise the minimum standards required to establish and operate educational institutions. However, he clarified that the crackdown was not intended to witch-hunt school proprietors.
Rather, the commissioner said, authorities wanted every school to meet the prescribed requirements for lawful operation. He therefore urged proprietors whose institutions lacked approval to regularise their operations by obtaining the necessary authorisation.
Furthermore, Odey warned that any school sealed by the government and reopened without permission would face appropriate sanctions. He said officials would sustain the enforcement exercise until they achieved the objectives of the sector-wide cleanup.
The government hopes the campaign will strengthen quality assurance, protect learners and uphold the integrity of Cross River’s education system.
