Ogun threatens to shut private schools not complying with education policy

The Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, on Friday, decried the non-compliance of some private school owners with the state government’s policy on education.

He described this as unacceptable, stating that the state would no longer tolerate such illegal acts.

Arigbabu disclosed this during a meeting with heads of private school associations at the Ministry in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, the state capital.

The Commissioner said, “It has been observed that some private school owners are violating government decisions, such as shifting resumption dates and running foreign curricula.

“Other infractions include failure to comply with the government academic calendar, onboarding learners on the Ogun State Education Revitalisation Agenda (OGSERA) platform, and non-registration of Junior Secondary School 3 learners for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE),” among others.

He stated, “Any school found culpable of these violations will be shut down and prevented from operating. We want things to proceed according to the established framework.”

Arigbabu emphasised that private school owners should refrain from giving learners double promotions, noting that any learner involved would be returned and the offending school sanctioned.

The Commissioner explained that the purpose of this new initiative was to ensure a sustainable, revitalised education system in the state, urging association leaders to communicate this message to their members across the state.

In their separate responses, the Vice-Chairman of the League of Muslim Schools Proprietors, Mr Abdul-Jelili Animashaun, and the representative of Faith Heritage College, Eleweran, Abeokuta, Mrs Bamidele Adesina, commended the present administration for its developmental initiatives, particularly in the education sector, pledging their continuous adherence to government policies and regulations and to raise awareness among others about the necessity to comply with government education policies.