Benue State government on Tuesday announced the closure of 2,424 schools in the state.
The state commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Dennis Ityavyar, who stated this at a meeting with stakeholders said that the schools closed down failed to meet the necessary requirement; good environment, play ground and good classrooms.
Ityavyar gave the breakdown of schools to include; 1,977 primary, 433 secondary schools and 14 tertiary institutions cut across the three senatorial districts of the state.
The commissioner said that the proliferation schools in the state is responsible for poor performances of students in both external and internal examinations.
Production of half baked graduates leading to the establishment of so many miracle centres.
Benue state ranked 14 out of 36 states in the 2017 West African Examination Council.
The commissioner said, “the decision to embark on the closure of illegal schools across the 23 local governments of the state is a deliberate step towards improving the standards of quality education in the state.”
He warned the authority of the closed schools to adhere to the closure order until all the criteria are met adding that whoever who float the order will face prosecution.
To ensure adequate compliance, the commissioner said that powerful team has been set up in all the local governments, members, according to him are traditional rulers, opinion leaders, representatives of the state commissioner of police and Director State Security Services as well as area education officers.
