The Owners of Private Schools Association (OPSA), Delta State Chapter, yesterday commended the Delta State Government for its decisive and commendable directive mandating all unapproved private primary schools to obtain formal approval within 21 days or face closure.
The Association, in a statement signed by the State Chairman, Comrade Wilfred Akemuh, and the State General Secretary, Mr. Eric Onoverhie, said that although it fully supports the government’s initiative—which aims to sanitize the private education sector and raise the quality of primary education across the state—it is appealing to the State Government to consider extending the compliance deadline by an additional 30 days from the initial 21 days.
The statement explained that this extension will allow more schools to complete the registration process and upgrade their infrastructure to meet the minimum operational standards required for approval, ensuring broader and voluntary compliance.
“We firmly believe that such an extension will help avoid disruption to the education of pupils currently enrolled in these schools and further strengthen the credibility of the government’s reform efforts. It will also provide OPSA the opportunity to carry out an intensive sensitization campaign, encouraging unregistered schools to comply or face the stipulated sanctions,” the statement added.
While pledging OPSA’s commitment to partnering closely with the State Government to achieve the shared goal of improving educational standards across the state, the Association expressed confidence that granting an extension will promote fairness, foster wider cooperation, and enhance the integrity of the educational system in Delta State.
