Inside Abuja’s ‘business centres’ disguised as schools

In an alarming development for education in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, a growing number of institutions are operating as “business centres” rather than proper schools.¹ These substandard establishments, found predominantly in the Federal Capital Territory’s (FCT) satellite towns, are driven by a profit-making motive, with little to no regard for educational standards.²

A recent investigation revealed a litany of problems, including:

• Substandard Infrastructure: Many of these schools are residential buildings converted into classrooms.³ They often lack basic amenities like libraries, laboratories, and sports facilities.⁴ Some are even unfenced, exposing pupils to security risks and noise pollution.⁵
• Unqualified Teachers: A significant number of staff are semi-literate individuals or high school certificate holders who lack proper training in pedagogy.⁶ A school proprietress, for instance, confessed to teaching children “what I believe they should know” instead of following a standardized curriculum.⁷
• Exploitative Practices: While the schools charge exorbitant fees, they pay teachers a pittance.⁸ Teachers often complain of a lack of benefits and poor working conditions, leading to a high turnover rate.⁹
• Compromised Standards: The focus on profit has led to a decline in academic value.¹⁰ Some of these schools have been found to be “miracle centres” where students pay extra fees to cheat on national examinations, a practice that produces “half-baked graduates” ill-equipped for the real world.

The proliferation of these “business centre” schools is fueled by a combination of factors.¹¹ The demand for private education is high due to a lack of public schools or the dilapidated state of existing ones. Additionally, government officials have been accused of abdicating their duties, with little or no enforcement of educational standards.¹²

The implications of this trend are far-reaching. The lack of quality education at the foundational level threatens to produce a generation of citizens who lack the skills and knowledge necessary for national development. This not only undermines the future of the children but also perpetuates a cycle of poverty and social inequality.

Stakeholders in the education sector are calling on the government to take urgent action. They recommend institutionalizing measures to regulate private schools, increase funding for public education, and address the systemic issues that allow such exploitative practices to thrive.