The Kano State government has directed the immediate closure of two private schools, Ibn-Mashuud Secondary School and Matasha Private Secondary School, for operating in dilapidated structures in the state.

Additionally, the government has imposed a N10 million fine on Crescent International School, another private secondary school, for alleged violation of extant laws.

Briefing journalists on Monday about the development, the Executive Secretary of the Kano State Private and Voluntary Institutions Board, Alh. Baba Umar, stated that the sanctions followed appropriate legal action instituted by the board.

According to Umar, Magistrates’ Court 36 granted a motion ex parte instituted on August 22, 2024, against Ibn-Mashuud Secondary School and Matasha Private Secondary School for operating in dilapidated structures.

The court subsequently granted an order of interim injunction in favour of the board, directing the closure of the two schools and restricting them from operating pending the hearing of the motion on notice.

Regarding the N10 million fine, Umar said Magistrates’ Court 39 has summoned Crescent International School for deferring 10 per cent tax, which he stated violated the board’s extant laws of 2014.

The board recently conducted an inspection, accompanied by selected journalists, of the dilapidated structures where students were taking lessons under near-collapse decking and in unhealthy environments. The two private schools were part of the defective structures.

Umar reiterated his earlier position that the closure of schools by the board is no longer fashionable; hence, the board will not hesitate to sue any erring private and voluntary schools in the state.

“I can assure you that other private and voluntary schools that are operating unlawfully without completing the validation exercise at the board will also face a similar fate.

“About 189 voluntary schools recently collected the revalidation form and refused to return it because they rely on some disgruntled individuals at the Ministry of Education who will not save them from the ongoing prosecution.

“I will not address their case collectively; rather, I will deal with them individually by prosecuting them one after the other because they came here individually, not as a body,” he said.

Baba Umar added that he has the governor’s approval to sanitise the private and voluntary schools in the state, promising not to relent until the needful is done. (The Guardian)

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