Cross River shuts 36 illegal schools in Calabar, Ikom, and Ogoja for operating without approval. Commissioner vows full enforcement across all LGAs.
Cross River shuts illegal schools as part of a new crackdown on unregistered institutions operating without approval across the state.
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In a sweeping enforcement move, the Cross River State Government has shut down 36 illegal schools, ranging from primary to secondary levels, across Calabar, Ikom, and Ogoja.
The state’s Commissioner for Education, Professor Stephen Odey, confirmed the closures on Tuesday in Calabar, describing the trend as “unfortunate” and warning that the government would no longer tolerate what he termed “mushroom operations” in the education sector.
Odey explained that the closures were executed by a newly inaugurated task force on illegal schools, launched earlier this month. He noted that 16 schools were affected in Calabar, while 10 each were shut in Ikom and Ogoja.
“We have begun full-scale enforcement across the three educational zones in Calabar, Ikom, and Ogoja to sanitise the system,” he said. “Only schools meeting minimum government standards will be allowed to continue operations.”
He described the actions of individuals operating such schools as exploitative, targeting unsuspecting parents and guardians.
The commissioner reaffirmed that the enforcement would extend to all 18 local government areas in the state, adding that any school found operating illegally would be either regularised or closed down.
“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.
Professor Odey also urged parents to confirm the approval status of any institution before enrolling their children, warning that unauthorised schools may not offer valid qualifications.
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The move has been widely praised by some education stakeholders, who see it as a positive step towards improving quality control and restoring public confidence in the state’s education system.
