From Isaac Job, Uyo
Parents of students in Federal Government College , Ikot Ekpene( FGIK) Akwa Ibom State have protested against arbitrary increment of more than 100 per cent of levies by the Executives of Parent Teacher Association ( PTA) led by Dr John Ekere Etim and the Principal Mr Ezeugo respectively.
Daily Sun gathered that the Parent Teacher Association ( PTA) Chairman Etim after shutting the parent’s WhatsApp platform for over two months later opened it last week and announced PTA meeting held last week Saturday in the college premises where the increment of PTA levy was increased to N15,000 against N5,000 paid by parents in previous years .
It was gathered that parents opposed the increment proposal during the meeting but the PTA chairman and his Executives insisted that the increment must stand to offset salary of teachers employed by PTA as federal government has employed teachers in secondary school in the last 30 years .
One of the parents who pleaded anonymity said the PTA chairman could not convinced parents in their explanation to justify such levy .
Another parents simply identified as Nnena said the PTA chairman increased the levy to N15,000 each term for all students.
“I have discussed with my uncle, who works with the Ministry of Education, and he advised that the majority of parents should write to them on this matter.
“He also said that the majority of us have the right to dethrone the PTA executive that we are not comfortable with.
” Come to think of it, if we multiply ₦15,000 by 4000, that is sixty million naira (₦60,000,000), which means we will be contributing ₦60,000,000 every term to a group of persons if we don’t stand up and fight this till the end. This is pure wickedness.”
Some parents who spoke to our Correspondent appealed to federal government to disband the PTA Executive of the college and plan how to revamp facilities to save the unity school from total collapse.
” The PTA Executives are hiding under the guise of lack of teachers in the college to extort money from parents indiscriminately.
” We remember how the PTA chairman gave account in the last meeting presenting the cost of entertainment parents with only pure water and meat pie for N700,000 . The meeting ended in disarray .
” How parents employ teachers in federal government college while government watches helplessly .
” We won’t accept this levy . The Minister of Education should intervene to save parents from this Shylock PTA Exco ”
Daily Sun investigation reveal that parents and PTA Exco of the college have been in long battle in the last three months .
The infighting bothers on poor feeding of students, bullying, torture of junior students , stealing by senior students and general indiscipline among students .
Last month , the school management had to deposed the deputy head boy over bullying and hooliganism while the PTA watched helplessly .
” The federal government has to intervene so that this problem will not escalate” one of the parents said .