Group calls for stricter regulation of activities of private schools in Nigeria

There is a need for government to increase regulatory oversight of private schools in Nigeria in view of the terrible things going on in some of them.

This is the view of a United States-based non-profit and advocacy organization, Tilova for Africa (TFA), which cited the recent case of a three-year-old child in Enugu who was violently flogged by her teacher, leaving visible marks on her legs.

The group stated that the operations of many mushroom private schools, especially at the nursery and primary levels, leave much to be desired. Consequently, it called for the standardization of operations in private schools.

In a statement, the co-founder of TFA, Mr. Martin Nwabueze, an Anambra State-born pharmacist, charged the government to standardize the operations of private and community/faith-based educational institutions across Nigeria.

TFA said this will ensure that non-state schools, including private, community, and faith-based institutions, adhere to national standards in infrastructure, quality of teachers and teaching, curriculum content, and accountability.

The group lamented that some private schools have classroom infrastructure described metaphorically as “poultry sheds” due to their poor conditions, while teachers are barely literate.

Tilova for Africa stated: “The proliferation of private schools in Nigeria’s education space is a confirmation that all is not well in the sector. All manner of people are now establishing schools in Nigeria. This should be a major source of worry for all.

All manner of people who got money one way or another seem to have come to the conclusion that the easiest way to launder such money is to establish schools. It is also seen as one way of making easy money because you can charge anything as tuition and other kinds of fees.

“And because non-professionals are now establishing or running schools, the standard of education is nose-diving in the country. People open schools in their backyard and parents will go and dump their children there in the name of sending them to school. Some of the so-called classrooms look as if they are poultry or chicken farms.

“In many instances, children from primary one to six cannot perform basic mathematical exercises because the teachers are not qualified to teach. There is also the issue of inadequacy of teachers. There is a major gap in the staffing of schools, including government-owned ones.

“There is no system in place. There is no framework for operation. Some of the school operators just gather children and start telling them stories or making them sing and dance to ridiculous songs.

“Toilets are inadequate or in very poor condition, so they become harbingers of diarrhoea and other diseases the children contract.

“In many private schools, teachers are not properly vetted. All manner of people are employed as teachers to teach nonsense. That is why some of the untrained teachers abuse children under their care. A few days ago, a teacher in a private school in Enugu flogged a three-year-old girl mercilessly, leaving visible marks on her legs.

“Education is good, but it shouldn’t be at all costs. A child’s life should not be endangered in the quest to offer them education. So, government should tighten the loose ends of the regulatory mechanism.”