Lagos approves 101 private schools, warns against hiding abuse

The Lagos State Government has granted provisional approval to 101 private schools, warning proprietors against concealing cases of child abuse, molestation and bullying.

According to a statement shared on the state government’s Facebook page on Saturday, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun, gave the warning on Thursday during the presentation of provisional approval letters to the schools at the NUT Pavilion, Alausa, Ikeja.

The commissioner also urged proprietors to employ qualified teachers, improve their facilities and comply with the Lagos State Education Law, the Child Rights Act and other relevant regulations.

He directed school proprietors to report cases of abuse promptly to the appropriate authorities, warning that failure to comply with child protection requirements could attract serious sanctions.

“Alli-Balogun described private school proprietors as strategic partners in Lagos’s education development, noting that the State Government would continue to promote collaboration and provide the support private educational institutions need to improve operations and deliver quality services,” the statement read.

He said the provisional approval letters marked the beginning of a formal relationship between the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and the newly approved schools, with the expectation that they would operate in line with established standards.

The Director-General of the Office of Education Quality Assurance, Sulaimon Ogunmuyiwa, disclosed that the 101 schools comprised 63 nursery and primary schools, 35 secondary schools, two sixth-form schools and one boarding school.

“As part of measures to protect the integrity of the approval process, the Director-General announced the introduction of QR codes on provisional approval letters to enable verification of their authenticity and prevent the circulation and use of counterfeit documents,” the statement added.

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He said the agency had developed an automated school registration and approval process, which was awaiting the governor’s approval.

The proposed system would allow school proprietors to submit documents online and track their applications, reducing repeated visits to the ministry.

The director-general urged the newly approved schools to maintain safe learning environments, employ qualified teachers and meet all outstanding requirements, stressing that provisional approval did not remove their responsibility to comply with regulatory standards.

Meanwhile, the Director of Schools Standard and Evaluation at OEQA, Amos Fajobi, urged the schools to begin the Subject Recognition Inspection process, explaining that provisional approval alone did not automatically qualify a school to serve as an external examination centre.

He said the inspection validates the subjects a school is qualified to offer, with the report forwarded to the West African Examinations Council, the National Examinations Council and the Lagos State Examinations Board for consideration.

Fajobi encouraged proprietors to complete the process between the presentation of their approval letters and December, adding that the inspection could be completed within two weeks of receiving the letters, provided the schools met the requirements.

He said early completion would help eligible schools work towards securing recognition to present candidates for WAEC, NECO and the Basic Education Certificate Examination at their own facilities, subject to approval by the relevant examination bodies.

The event 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.