The Nigerian Association of Proprietors of Private Schools has called on government to eliminate mushroom schools across the country as soon as possible.
According to the association, mushroom schools have been denting the image of private schools in the country, resulting in the misconception and wrong assumption that private schools employ only unqualified teachers.
NAPPS Deputy National President, Chief Yomi Otubela, told our correspondent that the private sector was known for its contribution to employment in the country and so it deserved government’s support to continue to do this.
Otubela said, “Government should intensify efforts in ensuring that mushroom schools don’t exist, and where they exist, they are given a minimum standard. Private schools have no monopoly. It is an open business, the competition will give room for standards to be created. If anyone is giving an argument that private schools employ unqualified teachers, I will see that as generalising a statement.
“That cannot stand in proper argument. We have gotten a good number of schools that will not take any teacher that doesn’t have professional qualifications. You must have been trained to be a teacher. Mushroom schools should be closed down by government. They are left to play their role by ensuring that every school complies with instructions. If government is not playing their role, then this will continue.”
The NAPPS deputy national president stressed that mushroom schools were not members of the association and they should, therefore, be eliminated.
He added that the association had been pleading with the government for so many things and it should deem it fit to respond because the sector was also part of the development agencies in the country.
The NAPPS chieftain stressed that since private schools had been contributing to the development of the country, it was pertinent for the government to support them by providing capacity building programmes for the educators teaching the students.
He said, “We would love the government to contribute to the capacity building in private sectors because they are also contributing to human development and also contributing to the labour force. We want them to contribute to the capacity building of the educators; that is the
teachers.
“These children attending private schools are from different areas in the country, which are also entitled to education. We expect government to create avenues where their educators can benefit from government support; not only in terms of training, but also in terms of support from those teachers.
“And also we will expect government to provide credit support at a single digit for development of private schools so we can cater for students that are out of school.
We have advocated for two things, capacity building and supporting private school owners with credit with single digit.”
He, however, commended the government on the approval of separate curriculum for religious studies at the last Nigerian Council of Education Summit.
“It is a welcome idea that the religious studies should not be combined.
It also gives focus to the teachers to know what they are teaching. We wanted this; so it won’t give room to suspicion of any kind.
For basic education, it is compulsory for them to take any of the religious studies.
You can take anyone of them,” Otubela said.
