The Anambra State government is taking a firm stance on educational standards.
The state Ministry of Education has issued a stringent directive urging parents to enroll their children exclusively in government-approved schools.
This call to action is part of an overarching effort to ensure quality education and protect the welfare of children across the state.
Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, the Anambra State Commissioner for Education, delivered this crucial message in a press statement on Wednesday. She stressed the severe implications for parents who choose to send their children to what she termed as “illegal” schools.
“Any parent that registers a child in a non-government recognised school shall be ready to bear the consequences of such action,” Prof. Chuma-Udeh warned, highlighting the legal accountability parents may face as accomplices in any related prosecution.
The commissioner expressed concern over the operations of unrecognized schools, where, according to her, proprietors irresponsibly gather children in inadequate facilities with no proper teaching staff. This neglect, she explained, often leads to unsafe environments where children could harm one another.
She noted, “The proprietors just gathered the children and keep them without any teacher, resulting to the attack on each other by the children and inflicting serious bodily injuries, just as it was the case of some schools where children are reportedly inflicted with injuries.”
Chuma-Udeh also clarified the state’s stance regarding unrecognized schools, emphasizing that students enrolled in such institutions would not be allowed to participate in state examinations.
“The children in such unrecognised schools shall not be allowed to affiliate and partake in state examinations, while their parents shall be treated as accomplices in any prosecution against the proprietors,” she stated.
The commissioner also reiterated the commitment of the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to uphold children’s rights to quality education, asserting that “every child belongs to the State and any infringement against the child’s right to quality education shall be seriously viewed by the State.”
Punch