The National Assembly, on Thursday, came down heavily against proprietors of private schools in Nigeria, resisting the ongoing 2022 National Personnel Audit (NPA), being carried out nationwide by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), urging the commission to close down any school refusing access to the enumerators.

Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education, Professor Julius Ihonvbere, spoke while monitoring the conduct of the NPA, at Pilot Science Nursery/Primary School, Wuse zone 5 and Junior Secondary School, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja.

He said he was shocked to hear that UBEC staff was arrested by a private school while carrying out legitimate duty and the school has not been closed down.

Ihonvbere warned that the schools resisting the headcount of staff, students and infrastructure are taking a major risk and must not be allowed to operate since they are not island of themselves but operating under Nigerian law.

UBEC is currently carrying out a national personnel audit of all basic education institutions in the country for the purpose of generating accurate data to guide the government and other stakeholders on proper planning and allocation of resources.

It was gathered that some private schools have misconstrued the intention of the government into believing that the information collated from them would be used for the purpose of taxation.

Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Hamid Bobboyi, had, however, clarified on several occasions that the personnel audit has nothing to do with tax, but an attempt to build accurate database of teachers, students, and infrastructure, identify gaps, to guide policy-makers as well as the implementation of Government policies.

Ihonvbere noted that he would be proposing a law, along other colleagues to make it compulsory for every private school to supply 100 per cent of the Personnel data.

He also accused both the Federal and State Governments of paying lip service to the education sector, he said remained critical to the development of the country.

The lawmaker lamented that schools were being closed across the country because of insecurity since most of the schools vulnerable to attacks.

“What has been lacking in this country is the policy consistency, the ability to align policy formulation with policy performance and funding the education sector adequately and ensuring that resources go to the right places.

“Yes, the numbers of schools have increased over time but we don’t have enough teachers. We are closing schools because of security, is not the teachers that will provide the security, it is the government so they need to do something about that.

“You go outside the capital city of any state most schools are not even fenced even perimeter fencing, governance will not do it. There are schools without water, toilets, no playground for primary school pupils, so we need to take this education very seriously if we really want to change this country. It is education that made a difference in any country.

“So when I said since 1960 the fundamentally structural challenges and contradictions in Nigeria have remained constant I know what I’m talking about.

“The private schools are taking a major risk, even the school where UBEC staff was arrested; I’m surprised that the board has not closed down that school.

“As a lesson to Others I can assure you that I, along with my colleague will be proposing a law to make it compulsory for every private school to supply 100 per cent of the Personnel data, even without being asked and to grant 100 per cent access at all times to SUBEB, UBEC staff, that is number one.

“Number two, the private schools think they are island because they are private, they are private within the laws of Nigeria, so I’m really shocked to hear that some private schools closed their doors and refused to grant access, they are taking the major risk. We will see what will happen next year,” he said.

Earlier, the executive chairman Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Universal Basic Education Board, Alh Alhassan Sule, said the availability of data will help to address some of the issues facing the education sector.

“What is going on now is a better opportunity for us to have at our fingertips data that concerns the enrollment, teachers and infrastructure.

“And I think is better to plan when you have your data at your fingertip. I think the best thing that the Federal Government is doing for Nigerian citizens is in ensuring free and compulsory basic education for our children,” he added. (Nigerian Tribune)

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