Lagos Private Schools With Approval Reach 5,622

The Lagos State Government has increased the number of registered private primary and secondary schools in the state from 5,423 to 5,622 by presenting provisional approval letters to 199 new private school owners through the Office of Education Quality Assurance.

At the Education Resource Center in Ojodu on Thursday, Commissioner of Basic and Secondary Education Mr. Jamiu Alli-Balogun delivered the letters to a few of the recently established school owners. He demanded that sufficient steps be taken to guarantee student safety in all state-approved schools.

While commending the owners for taking the bold step of seeking the government’s approval, Alli-Balogun, decried the number of unregistered schools in the state, adding that about 12,000 private schools were operating without statutory approvals.

He noted that 80 per cent of the menace of child abuse cases in Lagos State are from unapproved schools in the state, according to a statement on Friday.

The commissioner was quoted as saying that “the ministry will continue to sanitise the education sector and make it thrive for only government-recognised schools in the state.

“Ensure adequate safety measures are taken to secure the life of every child in your school and let your teachers and supporting staff imbibe the safety measures as part of school governance culture.”

In his goodwill message, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Abayomi Abolaji, urged the school owners to be guided by the drive to bring up children that would benefit themselves, their families, and the entire nation in the future.

Let not the profit motive overshadow the fundamental and primary motivation for founding a school, Abolaji remarked. As a government, we look to you as our partners to make sure that the quality of education matches Lagos’ stellar reputation. We know we can’t do it alone.