By IJENDU IHEAKA

The Founding Chairman of Exams Ethics Marshals International (EEMI), Mr. Ike Onyechere, has said that the regulatory oversight of private schools in Nigeria had been compromised hence the urgent need for correction.

Onyechere disclosed this while speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of a meeting with the management of Methodist High School, Aba, Abia.

“The entrance of all classes of people into the establishment of schools in Nigeria has become a very major source of challenge in its education sector.

“All sorts of the people who come into money by all sorts of means appear to conclude that establishing a school is the easiest way of laundering money or of making easy money.

“Although many of such people know nothing about running schools, they establish private schools and the result is what we are seeing today – all sorts of things that they call schools,” he said.

Onyechere said that there is the need to re-evaluate the criteria for establishing private schools which makes it easy for school owners to operate below standards.

He said government had been focusing on sanitizing public schools, improving their infrastructure, facilities, and human resource assets but neglecting the structure and running of private schools.

“You know that some of these schools don’t have qualified teachers not to talk of professional teachers; some use school certificate holders to teach in secondary schools.

“Are we talking about some proprietors who are illiterates, some have no security infrastructure, and many operate in bedrooms instead of purpose-designed classrooms,” he said.

Onyechere said if the government was regulating banking, insurance and other sectors, there was need to properly regulate a sector that is pivotal to national development.

He urged wealthy Nigerians who wanted to contribute to educational development in Nigeria to emulate White people who invest in already established public schools to improve them.

He said Exam Ethics Marshals was launched in 1996 after a survey revealed that examinations in Nigeria had become an organized crime which reason propelled expanding the campaign.

Onyechere said he also helps Christian organizations setting up schools to establish the right structures that would assist them avoid exam malpractices.

He said he became interested in helping Christian organizations establish schools because they focus on morality hence it is easier for them to comply with standards.

He said that the Methodist High School Aba which was celebrating their silver jubilee and they invited him to help them review their past activities and launch their development fund.

“I am very happy with their seriousness in repositioning the school, they are moving it to new site, building a CBT facility and erecting quality laboratories for the school,” he said.

He said that the deadly thing about examination malpractice is that it creates children who believe they can cheat in everything and get away with it.

Onyechere regretted that technology which came to reduce malpractices has been compromised stressing that there is the need for everyone to help fight the monster. (NAN)