AFTER a six-month deadline given to erring primary and secondary schools in Ekiti State expired recently, 131 of them, both private and public-owned, were ordered shut by the state Government on Monday.
Addressing journalists on Monday, Ms. Eniola Ajayi, the state commissioner for education, science and technology, Dr. Eniola Ajayi, said that the proprietors of the affected educational institutions ignored several warnings before the government acted.
According to the commissioner, the Ekiti State government is committed to seeing that Ekiti State students get the best quality education and that they enjoy a conducive learning environment that would enhance their performance.
Ms. Ajayi said that government would not compromise the future of the children in the state under any circumstance.
Ajayi advised proprietors who did not have the wherewithal to run a standard school to bow out of the venture gracefully, stressing that government would no longer allow sub-standard schools to function in the state.
She said that the minimum acceptable standard for schools in the state was the ability of the school to function from its permanent site after three years of operation.
The commissioner added that the permanent site must at inception consist of a minimum of three standard and well ventilated classrooms as well as an administrative block consisting of a minimum of two rooms and a store.
She said the site must also occupy a piece of land of between two and three hectares of land for future expansion.
“Other facilities expected in a standard school included a functional library equipped with up- to -date books as well as qualified teachers,’’ she said.
In his reaction, Mr Babatunde Abegunde, the Chairman of the state chapter of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, pleaded with the government to rescind its decision on the matter for now.
He said as a result of the downturn in the nation’s economy, the proprietors of the affected schools should be given another three months grace to enable them meet the prescribed standard.