Cross River shuts down 36 illegal schools
The Cross River State Government has closed down 36 unapproved schools operating illegally across three local government areas as part of a major effort to clean up its education sector.
The move was announced by the state’s Ministry of Education, led by Stephen Odey, who confirmed in a phone interview that the schools—ranging from primary to secondary level—had been operating without official registration or approval. The closures were carried out by the specially inaugurated “Task Force on Illegal Schools,” which began enforcement operations after being established earlier in October.
Of the 36 schools shut down, 16 were located in the Calabar zone, 10 in the Ikom zone, and 10 in the Ogoja zone. The Ministry emphasised that these schools lacked the mandatory “Approval to Operate” (ATO) and in some cases were operating from unfit premises or residences.
The Commissioner warned that the crackdown will be extended to all 18 local government areas of the state until every illegal school is either regularised or shut down. He also urged parents and guardians to carefully check that any school their children attend is duly registered and meets set standards.
