Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has said that the state government would soon issue a blanket guideline that will curb illegal collection of fees in public schools across the State, insisting that education remains free in the state’s public schools.
The governor who held a meeting with key stakeholders in the education sector on Monday said he had received series of complaints that students were still being charged despite the executive order made by him last December abolishing payment of education levies in the State.
Dr Fayemi who reiterated that the revocation of education fees was not a political gimmick said the government would no longer tolerate any head teachers or principals who send pupils out of schools on account of fees.
While stating that government would provide a framework guiding levies or voluntary donations that would be made to schools through the Parent-Teacher-Association (PTA), the governor urged parents not to abdicate their responsibilities based on the revocation of tuition.
“The law does not say that a child who does not pay PTA levy should be sent out of school. There are feedbacks that some principals are sending students out of school. There should be a consistent arrangement so that parents will not see this executive order as a political gimmick”, he said.
While considering other steps that could be taken to address the issue, Governor Fayemi said government would consider increasing the running grants given to schools so that students would no longer be asked to pay examination fees and other sundry fees charged by the PTA.
Earlier, the State president of the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools, Mr Abiodun Omotoso had said that parents do not understand the provisions of the executive order; urging the governor to specify which fees the government had cancelled.
Omotoso also denied collusion between principals and some executives of PTA on alleged extortion of students through illegal collection of fees.
He however thanked the governor for releasing the running grants for schools for second and third terms.
Last modified: July 25, 2019
