The Edo State Government has urged private school operators to complement the government’s efforts at reforming the state’s education system.
This is as the government insisted that its directive on dedicated centres for First School Leaving Certificate and Basic School Certificate Examination for all schools in the state still stands.
The State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehekhare, disclosed this while addressing newsmen at the Government House in Benin city on Thursday.
He said Governor Godwin Obaseki has directed the immediate enforcement of a series of educational policies designed to sustain the gains recorded in the state’s education sector.
He said, “The State Executive Council chaired by the Governor has resolved that going forward every school in Edo must now write Primary Six and Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE)/Junior Secondary School Examination.”
Nehikhare also said that the Council has declared that for any school to remain operational in the state, the Edo State Government must be able to assess every learner to know if they meet learning proficiency.
The council also gave the deadline for enrollment for the primary six and JSS 3 examinations as December 30.
The commissioner said, “Both examinations will take place in the 2nd term, precisely in March 2023 to give the Ministry of Education enough time to mark and place students in the next grade.
“Every student must show up for 3rd term in order to be awarded certificates; the Basic Education Examination or Junior Secondary School Examination will no longer be written at schools. It must be in a designated centre.
“Biometric capturing of all students and issuance of students’ Identity Cards will be pursued vigorously by the Ministry of Education.
“Minimum land size for schools will be enforced. A four-bedroom flat apartment is not a school.
“Enrolling students for schools that are not registered will attract a ban on the offending private school and students’ enrollment for primary six and Basic Education Certificate Examination or Junior Secondary School Examination will count towards tax review.
“We are proud to say that at least in the last West African Examination Council (WAEC) examination, Edo State was adjudged the best State. This is as a result of the reforms which we have been executing in the Education Sector.
“But these reforms too cannot be holistic if it is restricted only to Government schools or only Government-controlled schools. So, that is why we are also trying to bring the private schools into that same ecosystem so that the standard of education is uniform across the board.”