The Benue Education Quality Assurance and Examinations Board (BEQAEB) has shut up Orenda and Opal Schools over suspected victimisation of learners and violation of government’s textbook policy.
This is after the proprietor was said to have attacked the board’s officers, writes Daily Trust.
BEQAEB Executive Secretary, Dr Terna Francis, made this known on Friday when he explained circumstances underlying the shutdown of the schools.
He accused the owner, Onyinye Okoye, and several workers of verbally attacking his team and damaging an official vehicle after they were presented with a court order authorising the closure of the property.
Francis said the enforcement action followed complaints by parents that the schools reportedly forced them to acquire prescribed textbooks directly from the schools contrary to the Benue State Government policy that allowed for reuse of textbooks and purchase of textbooks from external bookshops.
He said the board had frequently sensitised the school proprietors about the policy which permits parents to pass on the textbooks from their older children to their younger siblings and purchase the required books from the bookshops of their choice.
The impacted schools reportedly forced learners to buy textbooks from them, regardless of whether their parents had previously acquired the prescribed texts from other sources, he said.
He said other learners whose parents had paid their school tuition but could not afford the textbooks sold by the schools were allegedly subjected to severe measures including leaving their assignments unmarked.
The executive secretary claimed the school management allegedly turned down parents who had bought the specified textbooks from outside bookshops and applied for their children to utilise them in the current academic term.
He added parents were either instructed to acquire new textbooks direct from the schools or withdraw their children and put them in other schools.
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Francis said the schools had also allegedly prevented learners from bringing in textbooks bought outside the grounds, leading to some of the children becoming demoralised and withdrawn.
He said the claimed actions were undesirable and the government’s policy was aimed at easing the financial burden on parents, encouraging the reuse of textbooks and protecting learners from unfair treatment.
The executive secretary said BEQAEB had sent an invitation to the owner and administrators of the school for a meeting to discuss the concerns but they did not attend the meeting.
He claimed the board later went the court through the Attorney-General of Benue State and secured an order to seal the school grounds.
Francis said when the court order was issued, Okoye led some staff members to attack him and other authorities who were carrying out the enforcement exercise.
He said the event included verbal abuse toward the officials and the destruction of a car owned by the board.
He highlighted that regulatory conflicts should be settled through legal means and not by violence or intimidation, and that it was critical for the rule of law to respect court rulings.
Francis said the schools would remain closed until their owners and managers meet the conditions set by the board and prove they are ready to abide by government rules and respect court rulings and the rights of learners and parents.
He called on parents and guardians whose children had been subjected to similar alleged victimisation or breaches of government education policies to submit formal petitions to the BEQAEB, along with supporting evidence, and pledged that complaints would be investigated and appropriate action taken in accordance with the law.
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