The Lagos State Government has granted provisional approval to 101 private schools, but the new status comes with a clear responsibility: protect pupils from abuse, employ qualified teachers and meet regulatory standards or risk sanctions.
Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education Jamiu Alli-Balogun gave the warning on Thursday during the presentation of approval letters at the NUT Pavilion in Alausa, Ikeja. He cautioned school proprietors against concealing cases of child abuse, molestation and bullying, directing them to report incidents promptly to the appropriate authorities.
The announcement places child protection alongside school registration and academic standards as key obligations for private education providers in Lagos. A school’s approval to operate does not excuse it from responding properly when a pupil faces harm.
The Director-General of the Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA), Sulaimon Ogunmuyiwa, disclosed that the newly approved institutions comprise 63 nursery and primary schools, 35 secondary schools, two sixth-form schools and one boarding school.
The figures show that most of the institutions serve younger pupils, which make safeguarding procedures, staff conduct and safe learning environments particularly important. However, the government did not disclose the schools’ names, locations or the specific compliance checks each institution had completed.
Alli-Balogun described private school proprietors as partners in Lagos’s education system. He also stressed that provisional approval marked the start of a formal relationship with the ministry, not an exemption from the Lagos State Education Law, the Child Rights Act and other applicable regulations.
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A new verification measure is also being introduced. Ogunmuyiwa said provisional approval letters now carry QR codes to help the public verify their authenticity and discourage the use of counterfeit documents.
The agency has also developed an automated registration and approval system, which is awaiting the governor’s approval. If implemented, the platform would allow proprietors to submit documents online and monitor applications without making repeated visits to ministry offices.
The distinction between provisional approval and full compliance is important. Director of Schools Standard and Evaluation at OEQA, Amos Fajobi, said the letters do not automatically qualify schools to serve as external examination centres.
Schools must undergo Subject Recognition Inspection to confirm that they meet the requirements for the subjects they intend to offer. Reports from the process are forwarded to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the National Examinations Council (NECO) and the Lagos State Examinations Board for consideration.
Fajobi said eligible schools could complete the inspection within two weeks of receiving their letters, provided they meet the requirements. He encouraged proprietors to begin the process before December.
The government did not announce a deadline for resolving outstanding approval conditions or specify the sanctions that would apply to schools that conceal abuse.
The next test will be enforcement. QR codes can help expose fake approval letters, while inspections can establish whether schools meet academic requirements. Protecting children, however, also requires accessible reporting channels, prompt investigations and meaningful consequences when abuse is ignored or concealed.
The message, to parents, is that provisional approval is a regulatory step, not a guarantee that every aspect of a school’s operation has been fully cleared.
