The Benue State Bureau for Education Quality Assurance (BEQA) in collaboration with the Benue State Urban Development Board has vowed to demolish all substandard schools by the end of the 2023/2024 academic session.
Dr. Terna Francis made the disclosure when he led a delegation to the Urban Development Board.
He stressed BEQA’s commitment to restoring excellence in the state education sector.
Francis who lamented the state of education, emphasised BEQA’s role in reviving the sector.
“Our office is tasked with the responsibility of closing schools that fail to meet establishment guidelines, education laws, as well as the national policy on education.”
He decried the poor conditions of many schools and reiterated the Bureau’s readiness to enforce compliance, adding, that by the end of the current term, BEQA will publish a list of substandard schools operating in the state, advising parents to withdraw their children from such schools for quality assured ones.
The BEQA boss maintained, “we will not only seal schools but also demolish structures that threaten learners’ safety.”
Earlier, the General Manager, Tpl. Ternongo Mede, while welcoming the BEQA team acknowledged the great strides the DG was taking towards strengthening the quality of education in the state and pledged the board’s full cooperation in implementing the new policies and programs.
Mede concluded that, “Education in the state has become business for many people, but we are prepared to synergise with BEQA to commence this exercise of demolishing illegal school structures immediately.” (DailyTrust)