The Benue State government on Monday sealed the Benedictine Order of Peace and Unity Academy Foundation, Nyiman, Makurdi, over failure to meet an approved standard.

The Bureau for Education Quality Assurance (BEQA) director general, Terna Francis, who led the team, said the school was operating in an uncompleted hotel building.

Mr Francis stated that apart from the structure, the school had no curriculum, lesson plan, scheme of work, or qualified teachers and was operating three different schools within the uncompleted building.

The director added that the Benedictine Order Academy was not registered, and the government did not approve its existence.

“So, going forward, this school no longer exists as a school. We are activating and invoking our powers to close down any school that does not meet the educational standard in the state.

“But for the purpose of these children who are already in school, we are going to allow them to stay till the close of school today,” he said.

He warned that the government would not allow any substandard school to exist in the state for the safety of the children and quality education.

According to him, BEQA has identified 2,416 illegal schools in the state and has already issued all the necessary notices to the proprietors to either meet the required standard or shut down.

He advised parents to withdraw their children from the school that has neither uniforms nor records and take them to government-approved institutions of learning within the state.

The general manager, Benue Urban Development Board, Ternongo Mede, said the uncompleted three-story building was not habitable for a learning environment.

Mr Mede said every building must pass a fitness test for the desired purpose and urged the government to seal the school.

However, the school’s founder, Elias Torugh, said they were working hard to meet the state educational requirements for operating a school.

Mr Torugh said they were in the storey building for only two weeks following their eviction at the Staff Development Centre by the state government.

The founder stated they were fully aware that the school does not have a conducive learning environment, but they planned to stay at the uncompleted hotel building for only this term.

He claimed they were members of the Catholic Church and the school was owned by the Benedictine Order, which he said was not associated with any Catholic diocese in the country.

(NAN)