The Benue State Government has shut down Orenda and Opal Schools in the state over the alleged victimization of students and violations of the government’s textbook policy.
The Benue Education Quality Assurance and Examinations Board (BEQAEB) sealed the premises on Friday after securing a court order. BEQAEB accused the school management of compelling parents to purchase prescribed textbooks from the institutions, rejecting books bought from external vendors or passed down from older siblings.
According to the board, pupils whose parents failed to buy the school-supplied books were subjected to punitive measures. These included having their assignments left unmarked and being barred from bringing outside textbooks into the classrooms.
The enforcement exercise escalated when the school proprietor, identified as Onyinye Okoye, alongside several staff members, resisted the closure. Dawn Herald gathered that the school proprietor and staff members reportedly attacked regulatory officials and vandalized a government vehicle during the enforcement exercise.
The PUNCH newspaper reported, that the Executive Secretary of BEQAEB, Dr Terna Francis, quickly sought a court order after the school administrators refused multiple invitations to address the complaints raised by parents.
The board urged parents who have experienced similar extortion to submit petitions, assuring the public that investigations are ongoing to enforce total compliance with the state’s education policies.
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