The Cross River State Government has shut down 36 unapproved primary and secondary schools found to be operating without official registration across three local government areas.
Confirming the development in Calabar on Tuesday, the Commissioner for Education, Professor Stephen Odey, described the situation as “unfortunate,” noting that some individuals exploit unsuspecting parents by running unauthorised schools.
Odey explained that the closures were executed by the state’s recently inaugurated task force on illegal schools. He warned that the ministry would no longer tolerate “unauthorised or ‘mushroom’ operations” in the education sector.
“We have begun full-scale enforcement across the three educational zones in Calabar, Ikom, and Ogoja to sanitise the system and ensure that only schools meeting the required standards are allowed to operate,” the commissioner said.
According to the ministry’s publication, the affected institutions include 16 schools in Calabar, 10 in Ikom, and 10 in Ogoja.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to quality education, Odey stressed that only duly registered and accredited schools would be permitted to function. He advised parents and guardians to verify the approval status of schools before enrolling their children.
The commissioner warned that the enforcement exercise would be extended to all 18 local government areas in the state.
”This exercise will continue until every illegal school is either regularised or shut down. We are determined to protect the integrity of education in Cross River State,” Odey stated.
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