The Rivers State Government says missionary schools operating in the state must comply with the educational policies of the state.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Dr Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja stated this during an interactive session with private school owners in the state held at the Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Port Harcourt, Thursday.
Gogo-Jaja stated that the missionary schools must operate within the laws of the state adding that those schools must work in accordance with the state ministry of education’s academic yearly calendar.
“They must begin the term this time with us and close at the same time with the ministry’s academic calendar and must not operate in a different way”, he stated.
The state commissioner for education averred that the ministry had concluded arrangements to hold anr urgent meeting with private school owners in the state that are running boarding schools.
According to him, the essence of the meeting was for the owners of those boarding schools to convince the ministry on their ability and efficacy of such boarding schools to work in accordance with the quality assurance as well as meeting with the standard policy of the state government.
He urged private schools owners to re-adjust their class levels arrangements and ensure that they make provisions for primary six class instead of allowing their pupils to graduate from primary five.
The commissioner further called on parents not to be too hasty in sending their children and wards to secondary school and advised that their wards attend primary six class before proceeding for secondary school, adding that such would help the children in future.
“We need to encourage our children to develop them very well before sending them to secondary school. There is no need for allowing them to jump a class and write common entrance exam from primary five because in future it may have effect,” he said.