Education
STEVE Odoh, Ebonyi Commissioner for Education has announced the proscription of collection of unapproved fees and levies in all public and private primary and secondary schools in the state.
The proscription order was contained in a press release signed by the commissioner and made available to newsmen on Friday in Abakaliki.
Odoh warned that government would not hesitate to sanction any school head found aiding and abating collection of illegal fees and levies.
He added that collection of unapproved levies would be treated as criminal extortion with severe sanction attached.
The commissioner therefore urged schools in the state that do not have sports facilities to stop collection of sports levies and fees including the sales of sports wears.
The commissioner gave the directive while addressing the heads of the Zonal and Area Inspectorate of Education (ZIE/AIE) department of the Ministry recently in his office.
Odoh reiterated the commitment of the Gov. Dave Umahi’s led administration in repositioning the state education system to meet global standard, adding that government would no longer tolerate unethical practices.
He called on the ZIEs and AIEs including other relevant education stakeholders to do the needful to ensure that schools complied with the directive.
Odoh lamented the collection of unapproved levies being imposed on pupils and students in public and private in the state and urged school heads and proprietors to shun the act.
He called on parents and guardians to always verify the genuineness of fees and levies their children and wards were asked to pay from the Ministry of Education and other relevant education authorities.
“The governor is not happy about some unapproved and unaccounted levies being imposed on pupils and students in public and private schools in the state.
“The governor therefore calls on parents to always verify certain fees required of their children and wards in both public and private schools to avoid undue extortion.
“Ministry of Education will henceforth take necessary steps to put a stop to all unnecessary attitudes that tend to negate and discourage efforts of government in promoting sound, smooth teaching and learning in our schools.
“Government is also committed to resisting any action that will jeopardise the ‘Bring back out-of-school’ children campaign aimed at encouraging out of school children in Ebonyi to return to school. (NAN)
– Aug. 23, 2019 @ 13:05 GMT |
Tags: Ebonyi proscribes collection of unapproved fees levies in schools
