KWARA CLOSES UNAUTHORIZED IJMB COACHING CENTRES. (PHOTO).

 Kwara Closes Unauthorized IJMB Coaching Centres

The Kwara State Government has ordered the shutdown of unapproved Interim Joint Matriculation Board (IJMB) coaching centres operating across the state.

The Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Dr. Mary Arinde, raised concerns over the increasing number of unregistered IJMB centres during a meeting with approved study centres in Ilorin on Thursday.

A statement released on Friday by the Ministry of Tertiary Education’s Press Secretary, Falade Gbenga, quoted Arinde as saying that the state government remains committed to maintaining the quality and standard of education.

She emphasized that only nine institutions are authorized to run the IJMB programme in Kwara, all of which provide conducive learning environments. These include:

-Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete

-Kwara State College of Education, Oro

-Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin

-Federal Polytechnic, Offa

-De-wise College of Basic and Remedial Studies

-Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin

-Thomas Adewumi University, Oko

-Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin

-Ojaja University, Ilorin

The Commissioner reiterated the government’s strict adherence to IJMB regulations, stating that all unauthorized centres must cease operations to uphold educational standards in the state.

Also speaking, Babatunde Afolayan, the Director of Continued Education in the Ministry, pledged immediate enforcement of the directive to sanitize the system.

Reacting to the decision, Prof. Stephen Afolabi, head of the IJMB programme at KWASU, commended the move, stressing that illegal centres with poor learning environments must be eliminated.

Other approved institutions also expressed their support for the government’s efforts and vowed to comply with all regulatory guidelines.