The Benue State Government has shut down 2,424 primary, secondary and tertiary schools operating illegally in the state. A statement by the State Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, disclosed this at a meeting with education stakeholders. According to him, the affected schools failed to meet the basic requirements which include good environment, playground and good classrooms.
The Commissioner said the schools included 1,977 primary schools, 433 secondary schools and 14 tertiary institutions cutting across the three senatorial districts of the state. He said the affected schools were responsible for the poor performances of students in both external and internal examinations noting that the production of ‘half-baked graduates’ resulted in the establishment of many ‘miracle centres in the state.’
He also revealed that Benue state ranked 14 out of 36 states in the 2017 West African Examination Council results. “The decision to embark on the closure of illegal schools across the 23 local governments of the state is a deliberate step towards improving the standards of quality education in the state,” he said, adding that a team has been set up in all the local governments, to ensure adequate compliance.
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