Lagos presents provisional approval letters to 199 new private school owners
L-R: Abolaji, Alli-Balogun, one of the school owners and Falayi during the presentation of provisional approval letters to new private school owners in Lagos.
Published By: Kazeem Ugbodaga
The Lagos State Office of Education Quality Assurance, OEQA, on Thursday, presented provisional approval letters to 199 new private school owners thereby increasing the number of registered private primary and secondary schools in the State from an initial 5,423 to 5,622.
The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun who made a symbolic presentation of provisional letters to some of the new school owners at Education Resource Center (ERC) Ojodu on Thursday commended the proprietors and proprietress for taking the bold step of seeking government’s approval.
He decried the number of unregistered schools in the State, revealing that about 12,000 private schools are operating without statutory approvals.
While disclosing that 80% menace of child abuse cases in Lagos State were from unapproved schools in the State, the Commissioner promised that the Ministry would continue to sanitise the education sector and make the sector thrive for only government-recognized schools.
He pleaded with the proprietors and proprietress to prioritise the life of every pupil and student by ensuring their security during and after school hours.
In his words; “Ensure adequate safety measures are taken to secure the life of every child in your school and let your teachers and supporting staff imbibe the safety measures as part of school governance culture.”
Alli-Balogun reminded the new school owners that the school provisional approvals were done in the name of the proprietors subject to conditions as stipulated in the Guidelines on Establishment and Operation of Schools.
He said: “Take note that the schools are not transferable neither can the approvals be used for another branch of the school in another location without the approval of the Office of Education Quality Assurance.”
He encouraged other private school owners who were yet to start or conclude the registration and approval process to do so without further hesitation, saying that the benefits were numerous for the school owners, the children, the parents, and the communities.
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A cross section of the school owners
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Abayomi Abolaji, urged the school owners to be guided by the drive to bring up children who would benefit themselves their families and the entire nation in the future.
He said: “Let not the commercial reason overshadow the basic and most important reason for establishing a school. As a government, we know that we can’t do it alone, we look up to you as our partners to ensure that the standard of education is at par with the excellent status that Lagos is known for.”
Abolaji, who said that the relationship between the state government and private school owners was for cooperation and not intimidation also warned that the government would not shy away from giving disciplinary measures to operators that ran foul of the operation guidelines.
While Giving an overview of the benefits and conditions attached to the provisional approval given to the new private school owners, the Director, Private Education and Special Programmes (PESP), OEQA, Mrs. Fabambi Falayi congratulated the new school owners for meeting all the requirements needed to secure approval from the State Government.
She listed some of the benefits of being a registered school to including recognition by the Lagos State Government, Federal Government & International Development Agencies (UNICEF, USAID) and accreditation to present School candidates for external examinations.
Other benefits, according to the director included publication of the school name on the official website of the OEQA, easy access to loans from the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) and other finance agencies, discounted prices for the conduct of integrity tests from the Lagos State Material Testing Laboratory (LSMTL), access to relief packages and palliatives from the State and Federal Government when available, among others.
Falayi said that the present administration sees private school owners as major players and great partners in the education sector in Lagos State, saying that the operation and success of private schools were critical to the State’s aspirations of becoming a major player on the global stage.