The Cross River State Government has shut down 36 illegal schools operating without approval in three local councils.
Officials said the move aims to sanitize the system and uphold education quality across the state.
The Cross River State Government has closed 36 unapproved schools operating without authorization in three local government areas of the state as part of its ongoing effort to reform the education sector.
According to a statement released on the Ministry of Education’s official website, the affected institutions comprising both primary and secondary schools were found to be running without proper registration or approval from the state government.
Confirming the incident on Tuesday, October 21, Commissioner for Education, Professor Stephen Odey, described the development as unfortunate, noting that some individuals were exploiting unsuspecting parents by operating unapproved schools. He added that the state government would no longer tolerate such illegal activities.
The shutdowns were executed by the State Task Force on Illegal Schools, inaugurated earlier this month to enforce education regulations and restore order in the system. Professor Odey said the exercise had begun across the state’s three educational zones Calabar, Ikom, and Ogoja to “sanitize the system and ensure that only schools meeting the required standards are allowed to operate.”
Details from the Ministry’s publication revealed that 16 of the affected schools were located in Calabar, while 10 each were shut down in Ikom and Ogoja.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to improving education standards, Odey noted that only duly registered and accredited institutions would be permitted to continue operations. He also advised parents and guardians to confirm the approval status of any school before enrolling their children.
“This exercise will continue until every illegal school is either regularized or shut down,” the commissioner stated. “We are determined to protect the integrity of education in Cross River State and ensure that only qualified operators remain in the system.”
The government said the enforcement drive would be extended to all 18 local government areas in the coming weeks to completely eradicate unauthorized schools from the state.
