The Anambra state government Tuesday declared a total of 1901 primary and secondary schools operating in the state as not legally registered.
The state Commissioner for Basic Education, Prof. Kate Omenugha, who disclosed this in a joint press briefing with the chairman, Anambra Internal Revenue Service (AIRS), Dr David Nzekwu, announced that only 187 of the private schools are registered with the government.
The reaction came at the heels of a three-day warning strike by a coalition of private school owners in the state embarked upon on Monday this week over alleged multiple taxation by the state government.
Omenugha, who lambasted the private school owners over the industrial action, said the state meant well for the schools owing to their significant role in building the future of the children, but regretted that some of them were not in support of the good intentions of government.
She said 12 schools had been shut down indefinitely due to their illegal operation, adding that more would follow suit in recent time.
Contributing, the chairman, Anambra Internal Revenue Service (AiRS), Dr David Nzekwu, dismissed as untrue the claims of multiple taxation by the school owners, explaining that the school owners seemed not to know the difference between taxes, levies and charges.
Nzekwu, while adding that efforts were on to resolve the crisis, accused some of the private schools owners of tax evasion.
