The House of Representatives on Tuesday urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Muhammad Bello, to stop further action on plan to close 556 private schools allegedly operating illegally in the city.
This followed the unanimous adoption of a motion presented under Matters of Urgent Public Importance by Rep. Albert Adeogun (PDP-Osun).
Mr. Adeogun said closure of the schools would make about 100,000 pupils to be out of schools.
According to him, the Department of Quality Assurance of the Education Secretariat of the FCT Administration has approved the close down of the schools as soon as funds are available to execute the plan.
“This will impact negatively on the future of the children and destroy the need to improve the literacy rate of Nigerians’’, Adeogun said.
The lawmaker further expressed concern that the move to close the schools without placing the students in other schools would expose them to crime.
“The closure of the schools without placing the children in other schools that can absorb the large population will expose the children to crime and abuse.
“That may be the consequence of this policy. The children may become victims of unwanted and unfortunate circumstances by virtue of the closure of the schools.
“They may never have the opportunity of furthering education which will not augur well for the country’’, Adeogun said.
He argued that public schools in the FCT were not sufficient to cater for the educational needs of the increasing population.
“This is why many private nursery and primary schools have emerged in the city’’, he added.
The House subsequently mandated the Committee on FCT to investigate the plan to close down the schools and report back in four weeks.
(NAN)
