The Ekiti State government on Monday endorsed the closure of 131 private schools which, it said, were substandard.
The order which was given by the state Ministry of Education, affected both primary and secondary schools.
The directive followed the expiration of the six-month ultimatum given to their proprietors to regularise their operations and upgrade their facilities.
The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Dr. Eniola Ajayi, who disclosed this to journalists in Ado Ekiti, said that owners of the affected schools had been warned severally to properly register them.
She said the schools were given a six months deadline to meet the standard set by the state government for the running of private schools.
Ajayi, however, said that the proprietors of the affected schools remained indifferent to the directive.
She reaffirmed the state government’s commitment on the provision of a conducive learning environment that will enhance the performance of students.
The Commissioner also declared that the government will not compromise the future of the children in the state under any circumstance.
Dr Ajayi advised proprietors who did not have the wherewithal to run a standard school to bow out of the venture gracefully, stressing that government would no longer allow sub-standard schools to function in the state.
She said that the minimum acceptable standard for schools in the state was the ability of the school to function from its permanent site after three years of operation.
Reeling out the conditions to be met for a standard school, the Commissioner stated that the permanent site at inception must consist of a minimum of three standard and well ventilated classrooms as well as an administrative block consisting of a minimum of two rooms and a store.
She added that the site must also occupy a piece of land of between two and three hectares of land for future expansion.
“Other facilities expected in a standard school included a functional library equipped with up- to -date books as well as qualified teachers,” she said.
In his reaction, Mr. Babatunde Abegunde, the chairman of the state chapter of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, pleaded with the government to rescind its decision on the matter for now.
He appealed that as a result of the downturn in the nation’s economy, the proprietors of the affected schools should be given another three months grace to enable them meet the prescribed standard.
