Decision reached and taken, as Delta State Government has suspended the Head Teacher of Okotie-Eboh
Primary School in Sapele Local Government Area, Vero Igbigwe, for
allegedly collecting unauthorised fees, including examination levies
from pupils.
The suspension notice was handed down on Monday by the state
Commissioner for Education, Chinedu Ebie, who visited the school
following a viral video that showed a schoolgirl, Success Adebor,
protesting the decision to send her home over her parents’ inability to
pay her second term examination fee, which she put at N1,000.
“There is right to fair hearing. So, what will happen is that a
detailed investigation would be set up to look into the issue in
details.
“Like I did say, I
conducted a preliminary investigation, but in the
interim we have to suspend her (Igbigwe) as the Head Teacher of this
school pending the outcome of the investigation.
“That suspension will take effect as from today (Monday). Obviously,
there are contradictions in her story because everybody was there when
they talked about school fees.
“It was obvious that Success was sent home because of her inability
or her parents to pay the supposed fees, which is not in any way part of
the 2018/2019 levies.
“Education at the basic level is free. However, it is not unusual
that levies are imposed. Even at the unity schools, we have levies but
these levies must be for specific purposes and must also be very minimal
for the children or their guardians can afford,” the commissioner said.
Ebie said the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa-led administration would not tolerate any form of extortion by state officials.
Similarly, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Charles Aniagwu, in a
statement, has exonerated the state government from the girl’s plight.
According to him, “Our attention has been drawn to a virile video
online of a little girl purportedly from Delta State where she alleged
that she was driven from school because her parents were unable to pay
her school fees.
“We have also watched the video and read several comments on the
matter where mischief makers tried to put culpability on the State
Government. While we empathise with the little girl and her parents over
her ordeal, it is important to state that Delta State Government runs
free education at both primary and secondary school levels in all public
schools in the state and therefore it is impossible to assume that the
little girl was sent home from a public school in Delta State.
“It is also pertinent to state that the Okowa-led administration
since assumption of office has built and reconstructed over 4,000
classroom and provided furniture, learning and instructional materials
to public schools in the state with a view to making them conducive and
competitive with the private schools.
“The government has equally trained and re-trained teachers in the
employment of the State Government with a view to making them adapt to
modern teaching techniques, hence the establishment of an ultra-modern
Teachers Training Institute at Owa-Oyibu in Ika North-east Local
Government Area of Delta State.
“In order to fill vacancies created by retirements in recent times,
the State Government has equally directed the Post Primary Education
Board (PPEB) to advertise for the recruitment of qualified teachers in
critical areas such as the sciences.
“Finally, if any parent wishes to take his or her child to a private
school despite the availability of public schools in most locations
across the state, the government cannot prevent such parent who feels he
or she can afford to pay the requisite fees charged by the private
schools from doing so.”
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