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Abia Begins Recovery of Public Schools From Private Hands

Published

Monday, December 16, 2024 at 05:22 AM

Written by Omotola Adeleke

Abia Begins Recovery of Public Schools From Private Hands

The Abia State Government has officially launched the process of recovering public schools that have been under private control, including those run by individuals and churches.

In an interview with journalists in Aba, Uche Ukeje, the Director General of the Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA), emphasized that the government is determined to thoroughly investigate and reclaim all schools and properties that were improperly sold or unjustly transferred to private individuals and religious organizations.

Ukeje, a member of the Abia State School Recovery Committee, explained that the missions and individuals mishandled the schools by hiring unqualified teachers, selling off land, and neglecting the institutions.

According to him, these churches and individuals not only violated the agreement that transferred ownership of the schools to them, but also sold off the land and mismanaged the institutions.

Ukeje pointed out that the state government revealed that several schools, transferred to churches and individuals by former Governor Theodore Orji in 2011, had been poorly managed.

He said that the government’s move aims to restore these institutions to public ownership, ensuring they serve the educational needs of all residents.

As a result, new principals have been appointed to take over immediately at more than 200 affected schools. The government also declared a seven-day transition period for the current authorities to transfer all school properties and records to the newly assigned principals.

Ukeje further stated that once the recovery process is completed, in accordance with government directives, no one will be allowed to approach government property, let alone purchase it, without official consent.

He revealed that more than 200 schools across Abia State, previously transferred to missions and individuals by past administrations, are now facing issues, including being sold off to private buyers or having parts of their land sold to real estate developers.

The GADA director also clarified that the sale of these schools was a violation of government policy, emphasizing that the original intent behind the transfers was to ensure quality education for the children of Abia.

“We’ll ensure henceforth, that nobody tampers with Abia State Government properties, not to talk of buying them. The missions and individuals have breached the agreement on which the schools were handed over to them.

“In fact, the government that handed the schools to them was supposed to review their performance in the agreement within one year, but this didn’t happen.”

Edited By: Chinedu Eze

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Abia Begins Recovery of Public Schools From Private Hands

The Abia State Government has officially launched the process of recovering public schools that have been under private control, including those run by individuals and churches.

Ukeje, a member of the Abia State School Recovery Committee, explained that the missions and individuals mishandled the schools by hiring unqualified teachers, selling off land, and neglecting the institutions.

According to him, these churches and individuals not only violated the agreement that transferred ownership of the schools to them, but also sold off the land and mismanaged the institutions.

Ukeje pointed out that the state government revealed that several schools, transferred to churches and individuals by former Governor Theodore Orji in 2011, had been poorly managed.

He said that the government’s move aims to restore these institutions to public ownership, ensuring they serve the educational needs of all residents.

As a result, new principals have been appointed to take over immediately at more than 200 affected schools. The government also declared a seven-day transition period for the current authorities to transfer all school properties and records to the newly assigned principals.

Ukeje further stated that once the recovery process is completed, in accordance with government directives, no one will be allowed to approach government property, let alone purchase it, without official consent.

He revealed that more than 200 schools across Abia State, previously transferred to missions and individuals by past administrations, are now facing issues, including being sold off to private buyers or having parts of their land sold to real estate developers.

The GADA director also clarified that the sale of these schools was a violation of government policy, emphasizing that the original intent behind the transfers was to ensure quality education for the children of Abia.

“We’ll ensure henceforth, that nobody tampers with Abia State Government properties, not to talk of buying them. The missions and individuals have breached the agreement on which the schools were handed over to them.

“In fact, the government that handed the schools to them was supposed to review their performance in the agreement within one year, but this didn’t happen.”

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