On Wednesday, the Federal Capital Territory Administration terminated two private schools in the nation’s capital for failing to meet minimum standards.
The impacted schools, according to the News Agency of Nigeria, include Jane’s Angela School in the Abuja Municipal Area Council and Erudite Bright Kids at Kagini.
The schools were shut down as part of a campaign to close all failing schools in the Federal Capital Territory.
The team was led by Dr. Danlami Hayyo, Mandate Secretary of the FCTA’s Education Secretariat, who indicated that the goal of the action was to guarantee the caliber of instruction in FCT schools.
According to Hayyo, the action was consistent with the Department of Quality Assurance’s role, which is responsible for the proper certification of schools as well as monitoring and inspection.
He claims that doing so will guarantee high-quality educational services, adherence to the guidelines for the opening of schools, and enforcement of the minimal requirements outlined in the operational guidelines for schools.
“The secretariat through the Department of Quality Assurance is determined to sanitize the system for a better teaching and learning process,” he said, “in order to ensure quality educational services, compliance with the requirements for the establishment of schools, and enforcement of minimum standards as stipulated in the operational guidelines for Schools.
“We will also step up our efforts to ensure that FCT schools are competitive in the international education market.”
“Normally, no school should be permitted to operate in the FCT without proper registration, payment of dues, and fulfillment of the requirements,” he stated.
He requested that the FCT Administration’s educational plans be taken into consideration and that the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools educate its members on the basic requirements.
The mandate secretary also disapproved of some school owners’ behavior in refusing to allow inspectors and assessors access to their school’s grounds.
The sealed schools did not meet the requirements for the construction of normal schools, according to Dr. Favour Nse-Edem, Director of the Department of Quality.
Nse-Edem stated that the closure was essential to upholding standards in schools despite the fact that there were no records of their operation and they had been in operation for years.
She assured us that the department will keep watching over both public and private schools to make sure they maintain the required standards.
She continued by saying that all institutions have to comply with minimal standards, receive proper accreditation, and follow operational regulations.
According to the director, Nyesom Wike, Minister of the FCT, gave his assent for the shutdown.
She stated that in order to deliver high-quality educational services, the department has raised awareness about the need to abide by operational norms through public announcements in various media outlets.
The announcement, according to the director, acted as a message to underperforming and defaulting institutions that are operating in an unfavorable setting.
Other schools operate in a setting that exposes pupils to health risks, as well as those with poor physical structures, among others.
“The department has continued to advise the school administrators on the expectations of them, but they have continued to ignore such professional counsel from quality assurance evaluators,” he said.