The Benue State Education Quality Assurance and Examinations Board (BEQAEB) has sealed two private schools in Makurdi, Orenda and Opal Schools, over alleged victimisation of pupils and violation of the state government’s textbook reuse policy.

The Executive Secretary of the Board, Dr Terna Francis, disclosed this on Thursday, saying the action followed repeated complaints by parents whose children were allegedly denied access to normal classroom activities for failing to purchase exercise and test books directly from their schools.

Francis led officials of the Board’s Directorate of Enforcement and Compliance to seal the schools after obtaining a court order authorising the closure.

He said the enforcement became necessary after several attempts to resolve the complaints through engagement with the schools failed.

According to him, the schools allegedly insisted that pupils and their parents must purchase exercise books and test books from the institutions, even after paying their school fees, or risk being denied academic attention.

Francis explained that the state government had repeatedly reminded private school proprietors and administrators that parents were free to reuse textbooks previously purchased for older children or obtain prescribed books from other sources.

He said the Board initially contacted the proprietor of the affected schools by telephone and directed her to stop the alleged practice.

However, complaints reportedly continued, prompting the Board to issue an official letter and invite the proprietor, school management and Parent-Teacher Association chairman to a meeting.

The BEQAEB boss said the proprietor failed to attend the scheduled meetings, despite efforts to reschedule them, while the alleged victimisation of pupils persisted.

He further alleged that some pupils were prevented from having their homework marked and were barred from bringing their books into the classroom, leaving them withdrawn and demoralised.

Francis described the alleged treatment as a violation of child protection laws in Benue State and Nigeria, stressing that pupils should not be subjected to discrimination or deprived of learning opportunities because their parents chose not to purchase books directly from their schools.

He explained that the textbook reuse policy was introduced to ease the financial burden on parents and give them the freedom to decide where to purchase prescribed learning materials.

“If a particular school has textbooks for sale, it should not be made mandatory for parents to buy from the school,” he said, adding that parents could transfer textbooks from older children to younger ones or purchase the required materials from external bookstores.

Francis said the Board, working with the state Attorney-General’s office, approached a court of competent jurisdiction after the alleged violations persisted, leading to the order authorising the sealing of the schools.

He added that the schools would remain closed indefinitely until their proprietors and administrators demonstrated a willingness to comply with government policies and operate responsibly.

According to him, the Board would impose conditions that must be met before it could consider allowing the schools to reopen.

Francis said no similar petitions had been received against other private schools in the state but warned that the Board’s monitoring teams were engaging parents and inspecting schools to ensure compliance with government regulations.

He urged parents whose children faced similar treatment in other schools to submit formal petitions supported by evidence, assuring them that the Board would investigate such complaints.

Describing the closure of Orenda and Opal Schools as a deterrent to other proprietors, Francis warned that the government would take firm action against any school found violating its policies.

He said the Board would not hesitate to clamp down on institutions whose proprietors or administrators failed to respect the rights of pupils and their parents.