The Lagos State Government has granted provisional approval to 101 private schools in the state, cautioning school owners against covering up incidents of child abuse, sexual molestation and bullying.
The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun, issued the warning on Thursday during the presentation of provisional approval letters to the schools at the NUT Pavilion in Alausa, Ikeja.
Alli-Balogun urged school proprietors to prioritise the safety and welfare of pupils by ensuring that allegations of abuse were promptly reported to the appropriate authorities.
He warned that schools that failed to comply with child protection regulations could face severe sanctions.
The commissioner also called on proprietors to employ qualified teachers, upgrade their facilities and operate in accordance with the Lagos State Education Law, the Child Rights Act and other relevant regulations.
He described private schools as important partners in the state’s education sector, adding that the government remained committed to supporting them in providing quality education.
According to a statement published on the state government’s Facebook page on Saturday, the provisional approval letters establish a formal relationship between the ministry and the newly approved schools, subject to compliance with prescribed standards.
The Director-General of the Office of Education Quality Assurance, Sulaimon Ogunmuyiwa, said the newly approved institutions comprised 63 nursery and primary schools, 35 secondary schools, two sixth-form schools and one boarding school.
Ogunmuyiwa also announced the introduction of QR codes on provisional approval letters to enable verification and curb the use of forged documents.
He disclosed that the agency had developed an automated registration and approval system for private schools, which was awaiting the governor’s approval.
The proposed platform would enable proprietors to submit registration documents online and monitor the progress of their applications, thereby reducing the need for repeated visits to the ministry.
The director-general urged the schools to maintain safe learning environments, engage qualified teachers and fulfil all outstanding regulatory requirements, stressing that provisional approval did not exempt them from meeting established standards.
Meanwhile, the Director of Schools Standard and Evaluation at the agency, Amos Fajobi, advised the proprietors to commence the Subject Recognition Inspection process.
He explained that obtaining provisional approval did not automatically qualify a school to operate as an external examination centre.
According to him, the inspection determines the subjects a school is qualified to offer, with the findings submitted to the West African Examinations Council, the National Examinations Council and the Lagos State Examinations Board for consideration.
Fajobi urged the schools to complete the process between the presentation of their approval letters and December, noting that inspections could be concluded within two weeks if the institutions met the required conditions.
He added that early completion would allow eligible schools to seek approval to present candidates for examinations conducted by WAEC, NECO and the Lagos State Examinations Board at their own facilities.
The presentation ceremony was attended by officials of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, the six education districts, the Lagos State Examinations Board and the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, among other stakeholders.
