Two schools forcing parents to buy textbooks for their wards have turned out scape goats for others – they have been shut down by the government.
The Benue Education Quality Assurance and Examinations Board (BEQAEB) today sealed Orenda and Opal Schools over alleged forcing learners to buy textbooks.
For their act which is in violation of the state government’s textbook policy, they will now serve as scape goats and a warning for others, not just in Benue but in different other parts of country where the practice has become common.
Executive Secretary of BEQAEB, Dr Terna Francis, while explaining the circumstances that led to the closure of the schools, accused one proprietor, Onyinye Okoye, and some staff members of verbally assaulting his team.
He said they also damaged an official vehicle after they were served with a court order authorising the closure of the premises.
Despite that there is a standing policy on the matter, reports had reached the authorities that the schools were violating its textbook policy by allegedly compelling learners to purchase prescribed textbooks directly.
This is quite contrary to the state government’s move and sensitisation for school to allow parents to pass textbooks from older children to their younger siblings.
This was to succor parents that had paid their school fees but could not afford the textbooks sold by the schools
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According to the secretary parents who had purchased the prescribed textbooks from external bookstores and sought permission for their children to use them during the current academic session met a shocker in the hands of proprietors.
They were told outright they had two options: to either buy new textbooks directly from the schools or withdraw their children.
Describing this as unacceptable, Francis added that even when the BEQAEB invited the proprietor and school administrators to a meeting to address the complaints, that they failed to honour the invitation.
According to him, the board was forced to approach the court through the Attorney-General of Benue State and obtained an order authorising the sealing of the school premises.
Okoye reportedly led some members of staff to attack him and other officials carrying out the enforcement exercise.
He said the schools would remain sealed until their proprietors and administrators met the conditions prescribed by the board.
The Eagle reports that the Benue government example if applied in Lagos and Ogun states for example, would see many private schools being sanctioned.
The practice of disallowing pupils pass on their textbooks to younger learners are rife in the two states.
Worse is that pupils are prohibited from buying exercise and notebooks from outside bookshops only for these to be supplied them at twice the price by exploitative school proprietors.
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