Of Standards In Rivers Private Schools

The priority placed on education by the Rivers State Government is already of national acclaim. But to what extent the private sector operators have keyed into that priority cannot be ascertained.

In building state-of-the-art schools across the state, the present government in the state would wish that its facilities would be able to accommodate all the children and give the quality of education that would compare with the best across the world.

Since this expectation cannot be met in the foreseeable future, government is duty-bound to ensure that standards are prescribed and enforced, at least, to give every child a minimum standard that can be used.

While we commend some of the private schools, including those of the religious bodies, that have contributed to qualitative education in the state, there are many more that should have no business admitting children for the purpose of running schools.

Besides, because many people have come to see schools as one of the most profitable businesses, even people who did not go to school now run schools. This, they do at some of the most inadequate facilities and with teaching staff whose only qualification is the need for a job.

But the Ministry of Education cannot stand by and watch the desecration of education in the state. The Ministry and its parastatals should not concern themselves only with the few government schools or the building of new schools to the detriment of driving a holistic academic system.

Some years ago, the Ministry tried to flush out what it called illegal schools. How far that has been achieved cannot be said. Later, every private school claimed that it had been registered and government. But how that changed the individual schools cannot also be seen.

Today, most of the schools lack passable facilities. Most have no playgrounds or qualified teachers. Yet, they charge prohibitive fees to give an impression of quality. Sadly, the authorities know very little of these schools.

For the needed control, the authorities should do routine checks, approve teachers and teaching schemes. Indeed, even Islamic  schools need to be watched to achieve standards set in the state and not open the way to unacceptable teachings such that might encourage ethnic hatred.

It is no longer acceptable that fees are fixed and increased arbitrarily by private schools. It is no longer acceptable that schools should insist on buying books for their pupils, for which reason huge charges are also levied. Many schools collect levies for sports and other things that they don’t provide.

A situation where some schools lack teachers or the requisite enrolment and put children in Basic 3 and 4 together in one room under one teacher should no longer be allowed. Indeed, the abuses in private schools cannot be enumerated.

Some of the issues are things the authorities can intervene and do something about, after all, the children being short-changed in the private schools are also the responsibility of the state. If the children are allowed to grow up under the wrong premise and through an exploitative system, there would be very little good to expect from such children.

Any private school that cannot provide the basic standard should be shut down and not allowed to continue because it might have paid some money to be registered. Of course, those that have no playgrounds should not continue. At best, some schools should be encouraged to merge and form standard schools.

While we expect the authorities to revisit the need for standards in the private schools, the Association of Private School Owners should understand the huge responsibilities they have chosen to carry. They must work with the state to establish standards that would not bring the whole system to ridicule.