By Jonathan Ugbal
The Cross River State Government has directed heads of public schools to publish on notice boards, “approved charges” to be paid by parents and guardians.
The move, CrossRiverWatch learnt, is a response to an investigation into the systematic extortion of parents and guardians by this Newspaper with support from the Socio-economic Rights Accountability Project (SERAP) which detailed some of the exorbitant sums collected by heads of schools and how they were shared.
Read: Irregular Secret: Inside Cross River’s Public Education System Of Structured Extortion
And, in a press release made public on Sunday, May 2nd but dated Friday, April 30th, the Special Adviser on Education to Governor Ben Ayade, Mr. Castro Ezama warned those involved to “desist forthwith.”
The State has a free and compulsory education policy for public primary schools but the investigation revealed that parents and guardians were made to pay at least NGN1,200.
Read the full statement below;
Ref: CRSG/DE/G/SA/F33
30th April, 2021
PRESS RELEASE
The Office of the Special Adviser on Education has received complaints of Students being told to pay more than approved charges. Available information holds that this monies are paid to Principals of some Secondary Schools across the State.
This memo is to sound a note of warning to all involved parties to desist forthwith not forgetting that the Governor’s policy on free and compulsory Education for Pupils in Primary Schools in the State still holds.
Accordingly, Principals are mandated to display approved charges on their respective School notice boards.
More measures will be taken to ensure the curbing of this ills. Let’s be guided.
Castro Ezama
Special Adviser, Education