The Lagos State Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA) has unveiled a new digital compliance framework aimed at simplifying approval processes for private schools while strengthening regulatory oversight across the state’s education sector.
The Director-General of OEQA, Dr. Sulaimon Ogunmuyiwa, announced the reforms during a one-day workshop organised for operators of yet-to-be-approved Grade C and D private schools in Alausa, Ikeja.
The workshop was designed to guide school proprietors through regulatory procedures, compliance expectations, and approval requirements, particularly for schools still operating without full government approval.
Speaking at the event, Ogunmuyiwa said the state government was intensifying compliance enforcement across sectors and warned that education operators would not be exempt from evolving standards.
“Lagos State is going to be very strong on compliance. If you look across different sectors, compliance expectations are becoming much higher,” he said.
According to him, the new system will automate major approval and registration processes, allowing schools to complete applications and receive updates digitally without physically visiting government offices.
Under the framework, school operators will be able to submit applications online, receive electronic acknowledgements, track inspection schedules, verify assigned inspection officers, and access inspection reports through a digital portal.
The DG added that draft approval letters would also be transmitted electronically before formal presentation, while payment systems would become fully digitised to eliminate unnecessary physical interactions.
“We are automating our processes to make compliance easier and more transparent. Schools should be able to complete approvals remotely within a short time,” Ogunmuyiwa stated.
As part of broader quality assurance reforms, he disclosed that all private schools in Lagos would now be required to submit three mandatory reports regularly — annual School Self-Evaluation Reports, School Improvement Plans, and School Development Plans to be filed every three to five years.
He warned that failure to comply with the reporting requirements could attract regulatory actions from the Agency.
Ogunmuyiwa further revealed plans to introduce structured quality assurance certification programmes for schools, including basic, intermediate, and advanced training levels.
According to him, the initiative is intended to ensure that every school has designated officers responsible for maintaining educational standards and internal compliance monitoring.
“Just as schools now have safeguarding officers, they should also have officers dedicated specifically to quality assurance,” he said.
The workshop also featured representatives of financial institutions who engaged school owners on funding opportunities and financial support available for infrastructure upgrades and compliance improvements.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Director of Private Education and Special Programmes at OEQA, Mrs. Kehinde Ogunlana, explained that the workshop was introduced to help schools that often struggle with the technicalities of securing official approval.
She noted that many schools remain stuck at the “awaiting approval” stage due to limited understanding of regulatory procedures.
According to her, feedback from previous editions showed that participating schools gained clearer understanding of infrastructure standards, teacher qualification requirements, safeguarding policies, and documentation processes, with several eventually obtaining full approval status.
“The workshop is designed to support schools, not to sanction them. The government recognises the important role private schools play in expanding access to education,” she said.
Also speaking at the programme, the Executive Director of SEED Care and Support Foundation, Mrs. Olanrewaju Oniyitan, said the foundation supports schools through technical guidance, action plans, and access to financial institutions and intervention programmes.
She explained that the organisation works with schools to identify compliance gaps, develop improvement strategies, and connect them with commercial banks, microfinance institutions, non-interest finance providers, and government intervention schemes such as the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund.
Facilitators at the workshop included directors from OEQA’s evaluation, monitoring, and private education departments, alongside other education stakeholders and financial partners.
The reforms form part of Lagos State’s broader efforts to improve accountability, safety standards, and quality assurance across private education institutions while creating a more efficient regulatory system for school operators.
