The Chairman of Rivers State Committee on Revalidation and Monitoring of privately owned Schools in Rivers State Prof Ozo Mercury Ndimele says the committee is not established to witch hunt anybody but to help improve on the existing standard in the running of the private schools  in line with the  state government educational policies.
Ndimele also disclosed that the committee was not planning to close down any private schools in the state as being speculated in many quarters, rather  the committee,he said  would work with the private school owners  to ensure that qualitative education and  conducive learning environment are attained.
He stated this while addressing proprietors and  school managers of privately owned primary and secondary schools in the state at a stakeholders meeting at the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education in Port Harcourt, last Friday.
He told them that the committee was a mere fact finding one that would make recommendations to the state government during the one month assignment.
“We shall do our work with human face. All you need to do is to cooperate with the committee to ensure the success of our assignment
“Our assignment is a serious one. We want to find out where our children are being trained and see if they conform with the standard,” he added.
Prof Ndimele who is the Vice Chancellor of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education as well as the coordinating chairman of the committee for Rivers East senatorial district  announced that the committee would begin visitation to 1,629 schools that are registered with the office of the Secretary to State Government from this week and warned them against any form of inducements.
“Let me warn, let nobody try to bribe or induce any member of the committee because the state government has adequately funded us. If you do your school will be blacklisted,” he added.
Also speaking, Prof Okey Onuchukwu, who serves as the coordinating chairman for Rivers South East averred that the committee would visit the schools to ascertain whether the minimum standards were being complied with, adding that the committee was an independent body not attached to Schools Board or UBE.
In his own speech, the coordinating chairman for Rivers West, Prof Philip Odari commended the private school owners in the state for their various contributions to the development of the state, adding that the mission of the committee would be on how to improve what they already have and not to destroy them.
Some of the private school owners, Elder Gospel Awara-jaja, Elder Abbey Caleb Osaroigwe and Dr Dennis Woruka who spoke at the event appealed to the state government to revalidate their registration rather than cancellation, noting that some of the private schools have existed for over 30years.
They also appealed to the committee to consider the new schools as well as to categorize the schools in their assignment.