Awka: The Anambra State Government has issued a stern warning to proprietors of private schools operating without official approval, mandating them to secure the necessary authorisation by September or risk having their institutions shut down. This directive was announced by Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, the state’s Commissioner for Education, during a stakeholders’ meeting with private school proprietors in Awka.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Prof. Chuma-Udeh expressed her concerns over the persistent delays by some school owners in obtaining the required approvals, despite multiple warnings and an extended grace period granted by the government. She emphasized that any further procrastination would no longer be accepted, stating, “There are still many private schools in the state that have yet to be approved. The time given by the governor to shut down such schools has expired.”
Chuma-Udeh further explained that although she had sought permission from the governor to extend the deadline and had held back the task force, the school owners continued to delay the process. The meeting aimed to understand the reasons behind these delays, but she made it clear that if the schools remained unapproved by the beginning of the first term, they would be closed down as per the law.
During the meeting, some school proprietors raised concerns about impostors pretending to be government officials visiting their schools to extort money. The commissioner assured attendees that she would investigate these allegations and take appropriate action.