Wole Balogun, Ado-Ekti
Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has said the government would soon issue a guideline that will curb illegal collection of fees in public schools.
He insisted 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.
Fayemi, who reiterated that the revocation of education fees was not a political gimmick, said the government would no longer tolerate any head teacher or principal who send pupils out of schools on account of fees.
He stated that government would provide a framework guiding levies or voluntary donations that would be made to schools through the Parent Teacher’s Association (PTA). He also urged parents not to abdicate their responsibilities based on the revocation of tuitions.
“The law does not say 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,” the governor said.
He further 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, All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools President, Abiodun Omotoso, said parents do not understand the provisions of the executive order, urging the governor to specify which fees the government had cancelled.
He also denied collusion between principals and some PTA executives on alleged extortion of students through illegal collection of fees.