Benue Govt Shuts Two Schools in Makurdi Over Textbook Sales Violation

Two academic institutions, Orenda Schools and Opal International Academy have been closed by the Benue State Government over alleged textbook policy violation which allows students to reuse old text books or source them from the open market. adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Giving reasons for the seal, the Benue Education Quality Assurance and Examinations Board, BEQAEB, said its action followed petitions from parents that their wards were forced to buy textbooks from the schools and that their assignments were not being marked for not buying the prescribed textbooks from the schools. It further pointed to failure of the school proprietor and administrators to honour an invitation to address the complaints.

The board’s Executive Secretary, Dr Terna Francis, led officials of its Directorate of Enforcement and Compliance to the schools, where a court order authorising the sealing of the premises was served on the proprietor before the facilities were locked.

According to a statement issued by the board’s Information Officer, Jeffrey Adzam, on Thursday, the government’s policy allows parents to reuse textbooks previously purchased for older children.

“Parents are also permitted to obtain textbook lists from schools and purchase the required books from bookstores outside the schools.”

However, the board alleged that the affected schools insisted that parents must purchase textbooks directly from them, contrary to the new policy.

Francis said the board received reports that some pupils whose parents had paid their school fees but could not afford the prescribed textbooks were subjected to punitive treatment, including having their homework left unmarked.

The statement added that some parents who had already bought the books from external vendors alleged that the schools refused to allow their children to use them during the current academic session.

According to the board, the parents were told to either purchase new textbooks directly from the schools or withdraw their children and enrol them elsewhere.

BEQAEB further alleged that pupils were barred from bringing textbooks bought outside the schools into their classrooms, leaving some of them demoralised.

“Dr Francis described the alleged practices as unacceptable and inconsistent with the protection of learners’ rights and welfare under applicable laws in Benue State and Nigeria.

“He explained that the government’s policy was intended to provide flexibility for parents, promote the reuse of textbooks where appropriate and prevent schools from imposing unnecessary restrictions that undermine the interests of learners and their families,” the statement said.

He said the board had invited the proprietor and school administrators to a meeting to resolve the complaints, but they turned it down.

According to the statement, the board subsequently approached the court through the Benue State Attorney-General and obtained an order authorising the sealing of the school premises.

The proprietor, Onyinye Okoye, allegedly led members of staff to attack Francis and his team after the court order had been served.

The statement said the incident involved verbal assaults on the officials and the destruction of an official vehicle belonging to the board.

The board condemned the reported incident, saying disputes with regulatory authorities should be resolved through lawful channels rather than violence or intimidation.

It said the schools would remain sealed until their proprietors and administrators met its conditions, complied with government regulations and demonstrated a commitment to protecting the rights of pupils and parents.

“He urged parents and guardians whose children experience similar forms of alleged victimisation or violations of government education policies to submit formal petitions to BEQAEB, accompanied by relevant evidence.

“He assured the public that such complaints would be investigated and appropriate action taken in accordance with the law,” the statement said.