Lagos to close schools violating environmental laws

The Lagos State Government says any school
which violates environmental laws will be
closed down.
The State Commissioner for Education, Mrs
Olayinka Oladunjoye, told the News Agency of
Nigeria on Wednesday that it was mandatory
for private and public schools to comply with
environmental laws of the state.
"I want to use this opportunity to appeal to
proprietors still running substandard schools
to figure out ways of raising their standard.
"We do not have plans to close down schools
except if they are substandard or violating
environmental laws of the state, that is, if
they are operating in unhygienic conditions,"
she said.
Oladunjoye stressed the need for school
authorities to ensure a hygienic environment,
saying deplorable environment will impact
negatively on the children.
The commissioner reiterated the commitment
of the government to continue to work with
the Association of Proprietors of Private
Schools to raise the standard of education.
She commended the leadership of the
association for its commitment to qualitative
education in private schools.
"It is the association's leadership's passion for
qualitative education that motivated the state
government to support it."
Also speaking, the Chairman of NAPPS, Lagos
State Chapter, Chief Yomi Otubela, said the
association had put in place measures aimed
at boosting education in the state.
He recalled that the closure of some
substandard schools in the past denied some
pupils access to education.
"Many children of school age were out of
school at that time as a result of the closure
which was a bad development for the
education sector.
"NAPPS was able to get the consent of the
state government to reopen such schools and
asked the owners to provide the required
infrastructure and upgrade the standard of
their schools," Otubela told NAN.