IMO STATE GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE MINISTRY OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION SET TO COMMENCE STATEWIDE MONITORING AND CLOSURE OF ILLEGAL PRIVATE SCHOOLS.

By Prince Uwalaka Chimaroke

4- OCT- 2025

The Imo State Ministry of Education, Primary and Secondary (MOPSE) has announced the immediate commencement of a comprehensive monitoring and enforcement exercise across the state in a decisive move aimed at sanitizing the education sector and ensuring compliance with approved operational standards,

According to a statement issued by the Honorable Commissioner for Education, Prof. B. T. O. Ikegwuoha, the exercise will target all private schools — nursery, primary, and secondary — operating without valid approval letters or those whose licenses have expired. The Ministry has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining educational integrity and quality assurance in all institutions within the state’s jurisdiction.

The release further emphasized that private school proprietors whose institutions were previously shut down by the Ministry for one reason or another, particularly those marked with red paint as illegal and later reopened without due authorization, will face arrest and prosecution. Such unapproved actions, the Ministry noted, undermine government regulations and compromise the standard of education in the state.

In clear terms, the statement warned that any proprietor found reopening a school previously sealed by the Ministry, without following due process of regularization, will be apprehended by law enforcement agencies. The government reiterated that this enforcement drive is not a witch-hunt but a necessary step to restore order, discipline, and credibility to the state’s educational system.

Prof. Ikegwuoha made it clear that the Ministry of Education, Primary and Secondary will not be held responsible or liable for any consequences arising from such arrests or actions taken by the police during the enforcement. Proprietors have therefore been advised to take this as the final warning and to ensure their schools are properly registered and in full compliance with all regulatory requirements before the commencement of the exercise.

The statement concluded with a strong advisory note: “To be forewarned is to be forearmed.” The Ministry reaffirmed its resolve to uphold the highest standards in the administration of education, ensuring that all schools—public or private—operate under the law, with proper authorization, and within the framework set by the state government.