Zulum Orders Inspection of Private Schools in Borno to Check Quackery

Michael Olugbode

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has directed officials of the state Ministry of Education to ensure that all quack schools in the state are brought to book.

He said he won’t stand by while parents and guardians are exploited by private primary and secondary schools, which are without the capacity to impact knowledge on students, asking inspectors from the ministry to pay visits and assess the quality of all private schools in the state with a view to identifying quack schools.

Zulum gave the directive in response to the recommendation of a keynote speaker, Alhaji Mohammed Adam, at the inauguration of Ansar Academy last Monday in Maiduguri, the state capital.

Adam had called the government attention to the existence of quack private schools operating in the state.

The governor in his reaction, said: “I have keenly listened to the keynote address by my brother, Mohammed Adam, and I was attracted to some issues he raised, one of which is a reminder that our responsibility is to monitor the quality of private schools, and not just public schools alone.

“In that regard, I have directed Secretary to the State Government (SSG) to notify the State Universal Basic Education Board Chairman, Dr. Shettima Kullima, to deploy officials to examine the capacity of all private schools in the state.

“The board is given six months within which its officials will visit all schools to examine physical infrastructures, quality and availability of teachers, as well as other relevant records.

“The board will make recommendations to the state government. We will do our best to ensure the improvement of standards, but where necessary, quack schools that are beyond upgrade shall be closed.

“While we are making modest efforts in uplifting the standard of education in our public schools, we shall also be very mindful of the operations of private schools in the state. It is our responsibility to ensure the quality of education in the state.”

The governor thereafter inaugurated Ansar Academy, a newly established private primary and secondary school in Maiduguri.

He also inaugurated Al-Ansar Radio Station also in Maiduguri.

Both the school and radio station were established by Al-Ansar foundation, a non-profit organisation founded by a retired federal Permanent Secretary, Dr. Muhammad Dikwa.

Dikwa, who is the president of the foundation, applauded Zulum’s style of governance, which he said encouraged him to mobilise resources to contribute to the state educational development.

“Your Excellency, you have done well; you have made us proud, and we the indigenes of Borno State are proud of you. May Almighty Allah continue to shower his blessings on you, guide and protect you as you steer the affairs of the state,” he said.