FCTA bans registration of new private schools

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has  placed a ban on registration of new private schools in the FCT until the new guidelines, which will incorporate the new directives and changes come on board in order to address the many complaints. FCTA Secretary for Education Secretariat, Sen. Isah Maina, announced this during a meeting with […]

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has  placed a ban on registration of new private schools in the FCT until the new guidelines, which will incorporate the new directives and changes come on board in order to address the many complaints.

FCTA Secretary for Education Secretariat, Sen. Isah Maina, announced this during a meeting with owners of private schools under the aegies of National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPSS) in his office last week. 

Maina directinged the department of quality assurance to visit the private schools for monitoring and compliance, and to liaise with FCT Internal Revenue Services to streamline payment of taxes for the schools.

He directed owners of private schools in the (FCT) to make security and safety of school children under them a priority. 

The meeting which was convened following a recent private school bus fire incident, which claimed the lives of three pupils, was also intended at ensuring the safety of school children in schools. 

He stated that the erring school, which remained closed, must be punished.   

Maina who noted that as parents “we know what is good for our children,” charged them to prioritize security of the children.  

He added that “as businessmen, we like to cut corners in order to maximize our profit and we look at those areas we feel are not so important. If you do not have enough resources to meet up with all the guidelines for establishing private schools, leave it. 

“We will review the guidelines for private schools and ensure the loopholes are plugged and the right things done at all times in all situations.”

President, NAPPSS FCT Chapter, Samira Jibir, who spoke earlier hailed the FCTA for giving them a listening ear, adding that her association was determined to ensure excellence in education in the FCT. 

Jibir, however, revealed that the private schools exhibiting unprofessionalism in their operations, including the school whose bus caught fire and killed three children, were not members of NAPPSS. 

She, therefore, called on the FCTA to make membership of NAPPSS a compulsory requirement for registration of private schools in the FCT.