Crack Down on Sit-at-Home: Education Commissioner Summons Schools as Anambra Issues Final Warning to Monday Absentees

The Anambra State Government has announced that students who fail to attend school on Mondays without valid justification will face a one-week suspension as part of intensified efforts to enforce full academic activities and break the cycle of disruptions linked to the long-running Monday sit-at-home order in parts of the South-East.

Commissioner for Education Ngozi Chuma-Udeh made the declaration on March 4, 2026, while addressing the management of two Onitsha-based schools – Mount Olive Schools and Spring Field Academy, GRA – summoned over alleged non-compliance with the state’s directive on Monday attendance. The measure aligns with a standing order from Governor Chukwuma Soludo to ensure uninterrupted schooling on Mondays.

“This measure is in line with the State Government’s resolve to ensure full resumption of academic activities on Mondays across Anambra,” Chuma-Udeh said. “I urge schools to comply with the directive.”

Under the policy, any student absent on Monday without acceptable reason will be suspended for one full week. The commissioner stressed that the rule applies uniformly across public and private schools in the state.

The summoned schools defended their records. Mount Olive Schools reported improved attendance in recent weeks, while Spring Field Academy attributed low turnout to continued parental reluctance to send children to school at the start of the week. Both institutions pledged stronger compliance going forward.

The announcement came as the Ministry of Education, through the Examination Development Centre, successfully conducted the 2026 Transition Placement Examination across designated centres. Chuma-Udeh, alongside Permanent Secretary Dr Ifeoma Agbaizu, monitored the exercise at centres including Nnamdi Azikiwe University Demonstration School, Igwebeze Primary School, and Igwebuike Grammar School in Awka.

The Monday sit-at-home order, originally enforced by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in 2021 to protest the continued detention of its leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has persisted despite IPOB’s formal suspension of the directive in 2023. The lingering observance – driven by fear of enforcement, criminal elements exploiting the vacuum, or lingering separatist sentiment – has severely disrupted economic and educational life in Anambra and other South-East states.

Schools in urban centres like Onitsha, Nnewi, and Awka have reported chronic low attendance on Mondays, leading to incomplete syllabi, delayed academic calendars, and reduced learning outcomes. Parents and teachers have repeatedly complained that the unofficial sit-at-home creates uncertainty, with some families opting to keep children home to avoid perceived risks.

Governor Soludo has consistently condemned the sit-at-home as self-inflicted economic sabotage and a barrier to development. Since taking office in 2022, his administration has pursued aggressive enforcement measures, including heavy security deployment, arrests of suspected enforcers, and public campaigns urging normalcy. The latest student suspension policy is the strongest educational sanction introduced to date.

Critics argue that punitive measures alone cannot resolve the underlying insecurity and trust deficit driving the sit-at-home. They call for broader dialogue with stakeholders, improved policing, and addressing grievances related to marginalisation and Kanu’s detention. Supporters of the government’s approach maintain that only firm enforcement can restore normalcy and protect the right to education.

The policy takes effect immediately, with schools required to submit weekly attendance reports. Chuma-Udeh warned that persistent non-compliance could lead to further sanctions, including potential derecognition for private institutions.