Posted on: 01:45 Wed, 03 Feb 2016



WAEC De-lists 25 Lagos Schools Over
Malpractice
No fewer than 25 private secondary schools in
Lagos State have been delisted by the West
African Examination Council, WAEC and the
National Examination Council, NECO, for
engaging in malpractice during their 2015 May
\June Senior Secondary School exams held
nationwide.

By this development, all the affected schools
will not present candidates for the two exams
for a certain number of undisclosed years.
This information was revealed by the Deputy
Governor of Lagos State, Dr Idiat Adebule while
addressing proprietors of private primary and
secondary schools in the state at a
stakeholders’ meeting at Alausa, saying the
state government was not only sad about the
situation, but also has a zero tolerance for all
forms of sharp practices in all schools in the
state.

Adebule, who doubles as the Commissioner for
Education in the state however threatened that
government would not hesitate to close down
those schools permanently if they fail to repent
and desist from the unlawful practice after
completing their punishment.

According to her, there is no room for any
school to cut corner in Lagos State. It is either
you are in or out of business.

So, if you choose to be in, you must have to
obey the rules and regulations guiding your
operations.

“It is disheartening to hear that some of you
have turned your schools to miracle centres
doing all sorts of sharp practices to get undue
marks so as get more patronage and huge
money at the detriment of your students.

This attitude must have to stop as Lagos is for
excellence,” the deputy governor further
warned. Adebule pointed out that teachers
ought to be good (and not bad) role models to
their students by being disciplined in all
ramifications.

While acknowledging the fact that there might
be officers from the ministry asking for bribe
when come for inspection, she said proprietors
would compromise only when they have
skeleton in their cupboards.
“So, you do not need to pay any money outside
the official levies to anybody,” she restated.

She disclosed that state government was about
conducting census on private schools to know
their actual number, noting that some
proprietors only come for name search and
thereafter start operating without approval.

“That is why we have only about 4,000 schools
that are approved out of over 11,000 operating
in the state, which is totally wrong,” she said.

Adebule, however, promised that the
government would look into the issue of
multiple taxation and high levies the school
owners often complain to be charged by
government at various levels.

Earlier in her address of welcome, the Director-
General of Quality Assurance in the state, Mrs.
Ronke Soyombo while acknowledging the strong
contribution of private schools in the education
development of the state restated that his
office would be committed to ensure standard
is adhered to by both the public and private
schools in the state.

In his own remarks, the President of National
Association of Proprietors of Private Schools,
Lagos chapter, Alhaji Kamal Akande asked
government not only to soft pedal in its
education policies but also to create enabling
environment that would aid their effective
operations.