National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools criticizes governments for their stance on non-governmental educational institutions

The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools has voiced concerns over the sluggish pace of state governments in adopting the National Policy on Non-State Schools, a year after its inception, citing weak political dedication as a major obstacle to reform efforts aimed at enhancing education quality and accessibility.

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Yomi Otubela, the National President of NAPPS, commended the federal government's initiative, but emphasized that the policy's objectives would remain unfulfilled unless states take deliberate measures to adopt and implement it, highlighting the need for strong political commitment from state governments.

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The federal government launched the National Policy on Non-State Schools on July 16, 2025, with the aim of providing a regulatory framework for private, faith-based, community, and other non-state schools across the country, recognizing their vital role in expanding access to quality education.

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According to Otubela, the policy's slow implementation pace is a concern, and he stressed that translating the policy's objectives into concrete action at the state level has been a significant challenge, underscoring the importance of education falling under the Concurrent Legislative List.

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He noted that without deliberate commitment from state governments, national policies will remain largely aspirational, and called for sustained engagement with private school proprietors, state chapters of NAPPS, education regulators, parents, and development partners to ensure the policy's successful domestication.

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Otubela urged governments to provide clear implementation guidelines, timelines, and accountability mechanisms to guide states while preserving the core objectives of the national framework, and advocated for a shift from regulation to partnership, concessionary financing, reduced multiple taxation, capacity-building programs, and greater inclusion of private schools in government interventions.

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He emphasized that private schools should be viewed as partners in national development, rather than merely entities to be regulated, highlighting the need for a collaborative approach to education reform.

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Helen Idiong, the Director of Programme Quality and Influencing at Plan International, described the policy as a necessary response to the growing role of non-state schools in educating millions of Nigerian children, but noted that implementation has been slowed by competing priorities and weak political will at the state level.

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Idiong urged states to develop clear implementation roadmaps, strengthen stakeholder engagement, and balance regulation with support to improve quality, safety, inclusion, and learning outcomes, emphasizing that the policy's success should be measured by its impact on children's learning, protection, and access to quality education.

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Funmilayo Awoniyi, an education quality assurance consultant at Eliara Education Consulting, attributed the slow pace of domestication to weak state ownership, inadequate implementation capacity, and limited awareness of the policy, noting that although some states have begun preliminary consultations, none have completed full legal domestication.

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Awoniyi identified inadequate funding, weak quality assurance systems, poor education management information system infrastructure, and mistrust between governments and non-state school operators as key barriers to implementation, and urged state governments to adopt a partnership approach by engaging NAPPS, faith-based school networks, and civil society organizations.