Abia Private Schools Must Upgrade Or Risk Closure — NAPPS

National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Abia State chapter, has warned that private schools in the state who failed to upgrade their standard risk closure.

‎‎The secretary of the chapter, Marshall Ochionu, handed down the warning while speaking to LEADERSHIP at the 2025 NAPPS Day celebration in Umuahia, the state capital.

‎‎Ochionu was responding to a question on the likely consequences of the ongoing general overhauling of public schools by the state government on private schools.

‎‎”It is a welcome development as it is also a challenge for the private schools to improve their standard along with what the government is doing.

‎”Most of us are sole proprietors and don’t have the financial muscle to complete with the government, nevertheless, we must do the needful to remain afloat,” he stated.

‎Ochionu, therefore, urged the State government to consider areas it could assist the private schools to upgrade their standards to meet the expectations in the sector.

‎He argued that as co-partners with the government in the development of the state, such interventions would go a long way to encourage private enterprise.

‎‎He denied the assertion that private schools were the major culprits in the decline of Igbo language.

‎According to him, those who make the assertion should understand that “we’re living in a mixed society where English language is the commonest means of communication.”

‎”We’re doing our best to ensure our pupils and students speak Igbo. We encourage them and make sure they register for it in examinations,” he added.