From Attah Ede, Makurdi
Out of over 6000 private schools operating in Benue State, only 150 have been legally certified to have meet the standards set by the government to operate.
The State governors has earmarked 2,416 for demolition starting from September 3024.
The Director General, Benue State Education Quality Assurance Agency (BEQA), Dr. Terna Francis, revealed this on Tuesday, during a meeting of the management of the Agency, Urban Development Board, Board of Internal Revenue Service and proprietors of private schools held at the BEQA headquarters in Makurdi.
He further announced that henceforth, writing of mock examination has become basic and compulsory for all prospective candidates of West African Senior School Examination(WASSE) and National Examination Council (NECO) in both public and private schools in the State.
The DG noted that most of the schools to be demolished are privately owned and have failed to meet specified building standards and payment of taxes to government coffers.
He said government is taking proactive steps to avoid schools collapse in the State especially with the recent incidence in Abuja and Plateau State.
He added that the first step government had taken is to sensitize stakeholders on the need to ensure that they adhere strictly to laid down standards in building.
He warned all those operating in unapproved structures to move out to better and safe places to avoid disasters.
“We are not going to demolish immediately, we want to give the concerned people time so that at the end of the day, we do not lose any life.
The GM Urban development has asked them to present their building plans and all that from now to the end of September. As it is now, we have identified 2,416 schools that do not have the approval of the Benue State government to operate.
“So far, we have only cleared just 150 out of the over 6000 schools operating in the State and they have been given certificate of consent. We are calling on others to come do the right thing. We are also, calling on parents to remove their children from such schools before resumption of schools in September and move to schools that are quality assured.
“We have published their names on our website and shared with the National Association of Proprietors of Schools, NAPS. Many schools got approval from the back door. There are some structures that are looking like poultry farms. In fact, we want to launch a probe on how they got approvals to operate with such structures?
“Henceforth, no school will register students or candidates would write WAEC or NECO without first registering such students for Mock examinations in the State. Writing mock is now compulsory for all your students. The 9:3 system of education has come to stay in Benue. So, all those schools preparing to register candidates for WAEC and NECO must go to State examination board and the the students for Mock examinations before they will be qualify to register for the national senior exams.
“We have designed a computer base for this purpose to monitor activities of schools with regards to class examinations and continuous assessments records”, he said
The General Manager, Benue State Urban Development Board, Town Planner Ternongo Mede said enough time have been given to the owners of illegal schools.
According to him, government had concluded plans to commence demolition, adding that today’s meeting is held to sensitize them and give reasons why such structures should be removed.
He said, “I took a tour to some schools in North Bank and it may interest you to know that there is a school that has already cracked and any moment from now it may collapse.
“After inspection two (2)days later, there was a collapse in Jos and that made me have sleepless nights because I know what we need to do but we have not gone out to demolish. But with this, most of the schools are going down. Certainly, they will go down”, Mede stated
Speaking on behalf of the private schools owners, Chairman, National Association of Proprietors of Schools, Benue State chapter, Sunday Ojoh, stated that school owners use long period of time to established their schools and therefore advocated for the need for government to give enough time to their owners to put things in order.
He admitted that the current standard of schools in the State need to be improved and stepped up, stressing they will cooperate with government to ensure that members run their schools based on established rules as enshrined in the national curriculum.
“On the issue of taxes, we complained of multiple taxation including annual tuition, registration of business premises collected by Ministry of Commerce/Trade and tenament rate all these amount to over 500,000 naira yearly.
We look at this as all these money is going to government source.
“We have complained to the State Assembly about this double taxation and they are looking into it. Note too that schools are not the same particularly those are the rural areas so when you ask them to pay the same tax, they suffer, Ojoh stated”.
Ojoh who commended the DG of BEQA for ensuring quality in private schools in the State, assured that the association will be happy to work with Urban development in order to get certification to be able to access funds from financial institutions.
While decrying high level of multiple taxations, he promised that they are not going to work against standard brought by agency, adding that there are people with good intentions to operate schools while some are operating mushroom schools with the aim of profiteering.
He called on the Agency to organize trainings for school operators across the state to acquaint them with the new innovations embarked upon by BEQA such as introduction of e- registration, e- dossiers etc.
On his part, director, catholic education services Makurdi diocese, Rev. Fr. Peter Apagher who spoke on behalf of forum of mission education secretaries, assured that they will cooperate and support Government to ensure that there is quality education in the State, saying that missionaries don’t operate schools on profit bases but to render services to humanity.
He Appeal to DG BEQA to give more time to school owners to develop their schools and move to permanent sites.
On her part, representative of Federation of Muslim Women, Jamai Tu Islam. Hajiya Zainab Usman promised that they will put all that they have had into practice, support government to give quality education to Benue children.
