(Dauda Lawal. Photo by Daily Nigeria)
The Zamfara state government has approved 123 private schools as meeting required standards for teaching and learning.
Officials had identified 508 privately-run schools across the state and tested 242 of them to check if they were operating safely and effectively.
Of the schools that were assessed, 123 passed and were rated good, while 119 fell short of the required standards.
An official leading the oversight committee said the goal was to ensure private schools met minimum conditions for safe and quality education in line with government policy.
The assessment process brought in N23 million in recovered tax payments to the state revenue service.
School owners were also trained on how to generate proper tax receipts and use digital payment systems to prevent money from being lost in the system.
The committee created a new digital tool for assessing schools and grading their operational levels, and built a comprehensive database of all private schools in the state for future monitoring.
Officials said this would help improve awareness about educational standards, protect children, and ensure quality education going forward.
However, the committee noted that a major obstacle to effective regulation was the lack of a law specifically governing private school operations in the state, which they said needed to be addressed.
