DTSG Frowns At Proliferation Of Unregistered Private Schools In Delta State

By Magnus Emuji

Delta State Government (DTSG) has frowned at the proliferation of unapproved private schools, especially nursery and primary schools.

The State Commissioner for Primary Education, Chief Sunday Onoriode and the Commissioner for Secondary Education, Mrs. Rose Ezewu stated this in Asaba during a meeting with the Chief Inspectors of Education (CIEs) and the Local Education Authority Secretaries of the 25 Local Government Areas of the state.

The duo reiterated that the State Governor, Senator ( Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration had continued to accord the education sector priority attention and implored every stakeholder to contribute meaningfully towards the realisation of the State Government’s policies for the overall benefits of all .

They said that with the illegal operation of unregistered schools, the State Government was being denied of revenue.

Chief Onoriode said that as the representatives of the Commissioners and the Ministry in their various LGAs , the CIEs should interface with the owners of such schools and evolve ways to encourage them to get their schools approved by the State Government.

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While stressing the need for synergy between the Chief Inspectors of Education and the Local Education Authority Secretaries, Chief Onoriode told the CIEs that it was their responsibility to ensure that users of public schools for any activity must pay to the State Government through the ministry.

Earlier, the State Commissioner for Secondary Education, Mrs. Rose Ezewu said that it was through the use of schools that the State Government generated revenue, adding that the CIEs must be up and doing .

Mrs. Ezewu, who called on proprietors of the affected schools to as quickly as possible ensure that their schools were registered with the Ministry, added that most of the unregistered schools usually collected high school fees yet they never saw the need to get their schools registered.

In his remarks, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Augustine Oghoro noted that it was easier to implement the policies of the State Government in the education sector if there was collaboration with the stakeholders especially at the local government level hence the essence of the meeting with the CIEs and LEA Secretaries.

Mr. Oghoro described the proliferation of unapproved private state as overwhelming, stressing that there was 1,600 unregistered private schools out of which 1,556 were Nursery and primary schools.

He said that the Ministry had informed the CIEs to ensure that school heads established School Based Management Committee(SBMC) which according to him would be very effective in tackling certain issues in the school.

Others stakeholders who spoke during the meeting included a member of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Mr. Paul Kurugber and Sir Byron Unini as well as some LEA Secretaries said that the Ministry should as a matter of urgency enforce penalties on them .