By Wakirike Herald | Education

The Cross River State Government has shut down at least 58 schools operating without official approval in four local government areas, intensifying its campaign against unregistered educational institutions and raising fresh questions about regulatory compliance and the protection of pupils.

The affected schools are located in Calabar South, Calabar Municipality, Odukpani and Yakurr Local Government Areas, where education authorities have stepped up inspections to identify institutions operating without the mandatory Approval to Operate (ATO).

The Commissioner for Education, Professor Stephen Odey, disclosed the development on Saturday in Calabar, explaining that the closures formed part of a wider effort to improve educational standards and ensure that schools operate within established regulations.

Odey maintained that the government would not compromise the minimum requirements for establishing and managing educational institutions, warning that proprietors who reopen sealed schools without authorisation would face sanctions.

Government Intensifies Crackdown on Unapproved Schools

According to the commissioner, the Ministry of Education's Department of Quality Assurance has intensified its enforcement activities to identify schools operating outside the state's regulatory framework.

He explained that the exercise was intended to address irregularities in the education sector, strengthen compliance with government regulations and promote acceptable standards of teaching and learning.

The government believes that effective regulation is necessary to ensure that schools provide appropriate learning environments and meet the conditions required to operate legally.

Odey said the enforcement exercise would continue until the government achieved its objectives of strengthening quality assurance and improving accountability across the education sector.

However, the ministry has not publicly provided a comprehensive list of the 58 affected schools or disclosed the specific regulatory deficiencies identified at each institution.

It remains unclear whether the closures were based exclusively on the absence of operating approval or whether inspectors also discovered shortcomings relating to facilities, staffing, sanitation or safety.

Protecting Pupils and Ensuring Quality Education

Beyond regulatory enforcement, Odey identified the protection of learners as a central objective of the government's intervention.

He explained that schools must operate in safe, conducive and properly regulated environments capable of supporting effective teaching and learning.

School approval requirements provide a framework through which education authorities can assess whether institutions satisfy prescribed conditions before admitting pupils.

Depending on applicable regulations, such conditions may include classroom facilities, qualified teaching personnel, sanitation, safety arrangements and appropriate learning resources.

For parents and guardians, effective regulation offers an important measure of assurance that schools entrusted with their children's education are subject to government oversight.

Nevertheless, the closure of educational institutions also creates practical concerns about the continuity of learning for affected pupils.

The state government has not disclosed how many children were enrolled in the 58 schools or whether arrangements have been made to assist families in securing alternative educational placements.

These unanswered questions are particularly important because school closures, even when justified by regulatory violations, can disrupt academic activities and impose additional financial burdens on parents.

Ensuring that affected children can continue their education without unnecessary interruption will therefore be an important consideration as enforcement continues.

'Exercise Is Not a Witch-Hunt', Commissioner Clarifies

Addressing possible concerns among private school proprietors, Odey maintained that the enforcement exercise was not intended to victimise school owners.

He explained that the government's objective was to ensure that all educational institutions complied with the minimum requirements for establishment and management.

The commissioner urged operators of unapproved schools to regularise their activities by obtaining the necessary authorisation from the Ministry of Education.

His position indicates that the government's stated priority is regulatory compliance rather than the indiscriminate closure of private educational institutions.

However, the ministry has not specified the procedures, timelines or administrative support available to affected proprietors seeking to obtain approval.

Clear information on these requirements would help school owners understand their obligations and take appropriate steps towards compliance.

It would also provide parents with greater certainty about whether affected institutions could eventually resume operations.

Government Warns Against Reopening Sealed Schools

Odey warned that proprietors who attempt to reopen schools sealed by government inspectors without obtaining official authorisation would face appropriate sanctions.

The warning signals the administration's intention to sustain enforcement and discourage operators from disregarding regulatory decisions.

While the commissioner did not specify the penalties applicable to unauthorised reopening, he emphasised that the government would maintain the standards required for operating educational institutions.

Effective enforcement will require regular monitoring, transparent procedures and consistent application of regulations.

It will also be important for education authorities to communicate clearly with affected school owners and provide established channels for resolving compliance disputes.

Such measures could strengthen public confidence in the exercise while ensuring that legitimate regulatory objectives are pursued fairly.

Enforcement to Cover All 18 Local Government Areas

The commissioner disclosed that the crackdown would extend across Cross River State's 18 local government areas.

According to him, the Ministry of Education intends to sustain inspections and enforcement activities until the objectives of its ongoing regulatory exercise are achieved.

The planned expansion means that schools outside the four local government areas already affected may also face scrutiny over their approval status and compliance with prescribed standards.

The exercise could have significant implications for educational access, particularly in rural and underserved communities where families may have limited alternatives to existing private schools.

In such communities, enforcing standards must be accompanied by careful consideration of the availability and accessibility of approved educational institutions.

Closing an unapproved school may address a regulatory violation, but the broader public interest also requires ensuring that children are not left without reasonable access to education.

This presents an important responsibility for the state government as inspections extend beyond major urban centres.

Questions Remain Over Affected Schools and Pupils

Although the government has outlined its regulatory objectives, several important questions remain unanswered.

These include the identities of the affected schools, the number of pupils enrolled, the nature of the violations identified and the conditions under which proprietors may apply to reopen.

There is also no disclosed timetable for reassessing institutions that subsequently meet the required standards.

For parents, the most immediate concern is likely to be whether their children's education will continue without disruption.

For school proprietors, transparent approval procedures and clearly communicated requirements will be essential to achieving compliance.

For education authorities, the challenge will be demonstrating that enforcement produces measurable improvements in school safety, teaching conditions and institutional accountability.

Publishing relevant information about affected institutions and available compliance procedures could help reduce uncertainty while strengthening public trust in the exercise.

Beyond Closures: The Need for Lasting Education Reforms

The shutdown of 58 unapproved schools represents a significant regulatory intervention in Cross River State's education sector.

However, lasting improvements in educational quality will require more than inspections and enforcement actions.

Consistent monitoring, accessible registration procedures, support for school administrators and adequate investment in educational infrastructure will remain important to building a stronger education system.

The government must also ensure that its regulatory approach does not unintentionally deepen existing inequalities in access to education.

As the enforcement exercise expands across the state's 18 local government areas, attention will increasingly turn to how authorities balance the need for compliance with the responsibility to protect children's educational opportunities.

Odey maintained that the Ministry of Education would continue strengthening quality assurance, safeguarding learners and preserving the integrity of the education sector.

Ultimately, the success of the exercise will be measured not simply by the number of schools closed, but by whether it produces safer classrooms, better-managed institutions and improved learning conditions for children across Cross River State.

Wakirike Herald

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