The Benue State government has announced the closure of 2,424 schools in the state on Tuesday.
The State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Dennis Ityavyar, stated this at a meeting with stakeholders.
Ityavyar said that the affected schools failed to meet the necessary requirements which include good environment, play-ground and good classrooms.
The Commissioner 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.
He said that the proliferation of schools in the state are responsible for poor performances of students in both external and internal examinations.
According to him, production of half-baked graduates resulted to the establishment of so many miracle centers in the state.
He also revealed that Benue state ranked 14 out of 36 states in the 2017 West African Examination Council.
He 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.”
The commissioner warned the authority of the schools to adhere to the closure order until all the criteria are met, adding that whoever floats the order will face prosecution.
He said that powerful team has been set up in all the local governments, to ensure adequate compliance.
According to him, traditional rulers, opinion leaders, representatives of the state commissioner of police and Director of State Security Services as well as area education officers are all in support.
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