Lagos issues 2-week ultimatum to private schools to register

Dr Oluranti Adebule, Lagos State deputy governor

Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Lagos State Government has ordered all proprietors of private schools in the state irrespective of their accreditation status to register their educational institutions at the education district within their area of operation on or before the 31 July, 2016 or face being sanctioned.

The government said the move was in line with its pursuit to ensure the delivery of high quality education to all pupils and students in the state.

The Deputy Governor of the state, Dr. Oluranti Adebule who said this on Tuesday in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria said the current administration placed high premium on the important services being rendered by private and public educational institutions for the socio-economic development of the state and the nation at large.

“Hence, there is the compelling need to redefine the criteria for the delivery of quality education in the State,” she said.

Adebule declared that the exercise was strictly meant to gather data that would avail the government opportunity to know all the education service providers in the State, visit them and monitor what they were doing to ensure that it was in line with the quality assurance regulation of schools below tertiary level with a view to improving learning outcomes.

“The government owes responsibility to all pupils and students in the State whether in public or private schools, accredited or yet to be approved to ensure that they are not half-baked. The registration is free of charge and will be of immense benefit to the proprietors as they will be guided on how to meet accreditation criteria,” she said.

Adebule warned that having been given the opportunity to register their schools with the government free of charge and be guided by government agents on the regulations, any school that refused to register would be deemed to harbour ulterior motives and would be sanctioned as appropriate when detected.

The deputy governor said the government was not out to send any school out of business but to help them grow and operate in conducive environment, adding that schools in remote areas experiencing dearth of teachers would be taken care off in the recruitment of 1,000 teachers approved by the governor as the recruitment would be need based.

“Massive reconstruction of infrastructure in existing schools and construction of new ones will commence next week to ensure that the schools resume into a conducive learning environment in the new academic session,” she stated.

The designated registration centres are: Diary Farm, Education District 1, Agege; Maryland Schools Complex, Maryland, Education District 2; 123, Awolowo Road, Falomo, Ikoyi, Education District 3; Mcwen Street, Sabo, Yaba, Education District 4; Agboju Schools Complex, Old Ojo Road, Agboju, Education District 5 and Ewenla Street, Near Charity Bus Stop, Oshodi, Education District 6.