Why Private Schools Are Shutting Down In Enugu State – Commissioner

Some private schools in Enugu State are ‘naturally’ shutting down because of effective checks adopted in regulating them, the state commissioner for education, Prof Uchenna Eze, said.

Prof Eze told our correspondent that his ministry adopted technology and other collaborative measures to track substandard schools operating across the state.

In his words, “We sought solutions through the use of technology. We developed a uniform examination portal. The portal enables us to capture all the schools, both public and private. What we did is to block all private schools that are not approved from registration of candidates for any of our exams.

“What many of the defaulting schools are currently doing is to transfer many of their children to approved schools. Once the transfer is made, those children are no longer theirs. If you can’t write our exams from your schools, it means the school is not operating. Many parents are ignorant of some of these things. They don’t even know that these schools are not approved.

“Recently, His Excellency gave us support by insisting that we have to close those schools. That is why this portal has actually helped us to regulate these private schools. Many of them exist in names because we have effectively blocked them. Before one year, many private schools will close down naturally in the state.”

He said his ministry had sustained regulations of schools in the state to ensure standards, and urged parents and guardians to seek information about authentic schools through various educational regulatory apparatuses in their areas.