The Ebonyi government on Monday announced the closure of 700 adult education centres, saying that ongoing reforms in the sector were yielding positive results.
Briefing newsmen in Abakaliki, the commissioner for education, Ndubuisi Chibueze-Agbo, said the closure was part of efforts to reposition the adult mass literacy and non formal education enterprise for improved efficiency, productivity and more result.
Chibueze-Agbo said that informal education was critical in the quest to eradicate illiteracy in the country by the year 2020 in line with ongoing reforms.
The commissioner said the state government would do everything to actualise the aim.
He said that 99 percent of the approved private adult education centres only functioned in names, noting that owners of such schools did not possess basic facilities and qualified personnel to run them.
“I make bold to tell you that 99 percent of the approved private adult education centres are no longer functional.
“These schools now only exist on papers and this development is not helping the growth and development of the informal education enterprise.
“Our commitment in repositioning our various educational system is total, unwavering, irreversible and irrevocable,’’ Chibueze-Agbo said.