C’River shuts 58 schools over lack of approval

Nkereuwem Effiong

The Cross River State Government has shut down 58 unapproved schools in four local government areas as part of an ongoing crackdown on institutions operating without official authorisation.

The affected areas are Calabar South, Calabar Municipality, Odukpani and Yakurr.

The Commissioner for Education, Prof. Stephen Odey, disclosed this in Calabar on Saturday, saying the ministry’s Department of Quality Assurance had intensified enforcement against schools operating without Approval to Operate (ATO).

He said the exercise was aimed at sanitising the education sector, enforcing regulatory standards and ensuring safe and conducive learning environments for pupils and students.

Odey stressed that the government would not compromise the standards required to establish and operate educational institutions in the state.

He explained that the crackdown was not intended to witch-hunt school proprietors but to ensure that all schools met the minimum requirements for operating educational institutions.

The commissioner urged proprietors of unapproved schools to obtain the necessary approvals, warning that any sealed school reopened without government authorisation would face appropriate sanctions.

He added that the enforcement exercise would continue across the state’s 18 local government areas until the government achieved its objectives.

Odey said the sustained operation was intended to strengthen quality assurance, protect learners and uphold standards in the state’s education sector.