Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Imo Governor, Emeka Ihedioha, has warned secondary school teachers in the state to stop extorting students, saying defaulters would face sanction.
The governor who handed down the warning through the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, during an interactive session with principals, yesterday, also tasked them to eschew corruption in order to rebuild the battered education sector of the state.
Onwuliri, who also informed that the governor has banned all forms of levies said he was tired of complaints of extortion and illegal levies and cautioned principals to desist from such acts.
She pointed out that the imposition of illegal levies and fees placed burdens on parents, who she stressed were already overburdened with the harsh economic situation of the country.
Onwuliri also reminded the principals of reports of imposition of illegal Parents Teachers’ Association (PTA) and other levies.
“The government has provided instructional materials, paid teachers and pensioners complete salaries and pensions up to date.
“I wonder why some principals are bent on extorting their students in spite of the fact that salaries were being paid regularly. No principal has been authorised to collect PTA or any other levies,” Onwuliri stated.
She reminded the teachers of two of their colleagues who were recently sanctioned for extortion, maintaining that government would not spare any teacher caught violating the warning.
She emphasised that corruption and mismanagement in the education sector in the last 8 years was responsible for the deplorable state of education in the state.