The Bureau for Education Quality Assurance (BEQA) has sealed off the Benedictine Order Academy in Makurdi, citing multiple violations of educational standards and safety concerns. The school, which claims to have 942 students, was found operating without proper authorisation in an uncompleted hotel building.
The Director-General of BEQA announced the closure to reporters in Makurdi recently. He stated that the decision was made after discovering that the school lacked essential educational materials and qualified teachers.
He explained that the school was operating without a curriculum, lesson plans, or a scheme of work, adding that they were running three different schools within the same uncompleted building, all “without government approval.”
The closure is part of a larger crackdown on substandard educational institutions in Benue State. Dr. Terna revealed that 2,416 illegal schools have been identified statewide, with notices issued to proprietors to either meet required standards or face shutdown.
“Government will not allow any sub-standard school to exist in the state for the safety of the children and quality education. We have identified 2,416 illegal schools in the state and have already issued all the necessary notices to the proprietors to either meet the required standard or shut down,” Terna stated.
General Manager of the Benue Urban Development Board, Ternongo Mede, supported the closure, stating that the three-story building was unsuitable for educational purposes. “Every building must pass a fitness test for its intended use,” Mede emphasised.
In response, Rev. Fr. Elias Torugh, founder of the Benedictine Order of Peace and Unity Academy Foundation, acknowledged the school’s shortcomings but pleaded for more time.
“We moved here just two weeks ago after being evicted from the Staff Development Centre by the state government,” Torugh said. “We are fully aware that the school does not have a conducive learning environment but we are planning to stay at the uncompleted hotel building for only this term.”
Torugh clarified that while they are members of the Catholic Church, the school is owned by the Benedictine Order and is not under any Catholic diocese in Nigeria.
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