Private Schools To Get Temporary Approvals From Govt …Suspends 16

Henceforth, private schools in the state will be issued temporary approvals as a way of enforcing standards and compliance with government policies and programmes.
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike announced this during a meeting with private school principals and proprietors at the weekend in Government House, Port Harcourt.
He hinted that a committee will be set up by the state government with the aim of auditing private schools and reviewing standards, adding that government will enforce remission of personal income taxes of school teachers and staff.
Wike lamented the attitude of some school owners who failed to remit taxes of their employees to government and evade other levies, insisting that, “This audit committee will work with stakeholders. All schools that are not approved would be shut down immediately. We cannot continue to have illegal schools in the state.”
On why schools will be issued temporary approvals, he explained that the policy will be such that schools will have periodic reviews for the purpose of ascertaining quality of teachers, facilities and environment to meet standards.
The governor, however, promised to eliminate indiscriminate levies on schools, urging school owners to stop paying any fees to any authority until a new rate and method of collection is agreed by all stakeholders.
Assuring the school owners of adequate security and infrastructure development to aid them in their operations, Wike stressed that prompt payment of their taxes will assist government meet its obligations, as he enjoined them to also look into the issue of high fees with the aim of reducing it to support parents.
Also speaking, Commissioner for Education, Prof Kaniye Ebeku, promised that every effort will be made to improve the educational system in the state, and solicited the cooperation of all stakeholders in the industry.
Meanwhile, the state government has suspended approvals for 16 private schools in the state over failure to attend the meeting with the state governor last Friday.
In a short statement signed by the commissioner at the weekend, it said the schools affected failed to comply with government’s directive.
The schools are Charles Dale Memorial International School, Eneka; Bereton Montessori Nursery and Primary School, Aladumo High School, GRA; and Beulaland Standard Nursery and Primary School.
Others are, Jephthah Comprehensive Secondary School, East-West Road, Royal Child Academy, Graceland International Secondary School, the Groove Nursery and Primary School, RGA; Trinitate International Secondary School, and Brookstone Secondary School, Rukpokwu.
Six other schools in the list include University of Port Harcourt International Secondary School, Choba; Green-Oak International School, GRA; St. Benedict Immaculate Canadian Academy Secondary School, Kateville International High School, Goldspring High School, and Montessori International Nursery and Primary School.
The statement further warned that more schools, which failed to comply with the government directive would also be sanctioned.