The Cross River government says it has shutdown no fewer than 58 unapproved schools in Calabar South, Calabar Municipality, Odukpani and Yakurr Local Government Areas, LGAs, of the state.
The Commissioner for Education, Prof. Stephen Odey, disclosed on Saturday in Calabar.
According to him, the ministry’s Department of Quality Assurance has intensified crackdown on schools operating without Approval To Operate, ATO, across the state.
He noted that the exercise was part of the state’s ongoing efforts to sanitise the education sector, enforce compliance with established regulations, and ensure acceptable standards for teaching and learning.
The commissioner further explained that the exercise was aimed at protecting learners and ensuring that schools operated in safe, conducive and properly regulated environments.
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Odey emphasized that the government will uphold and never compromise the standards required for running educational institutions in the state.
The commissioner explained that the exercise was not intended to witch-hunt school proprietors, but rather, ensure that all schools met the prescribed minimal requirements for establishing and managing educational institutions.
He called on proprietors of unapproved schools to formalize their operations by securing the necessary authorization, cautioning that any institution sealed by the government and reopened without approval would be subject to strict penalties.
The enforcement exercise will persist across all 18 local government areas of the state until the goals of the ongoing cleanup in the education sector are fully realized.
Odey emphasized that the initiative will be maintained statewide to reinforce quality assurance, safeguard learners, and preserve the integrity of the education system.
NAN
