Tony John, Port Harcourt
Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, has announced the abolition of all forms of fees and levies in public primary and secondary schools across the state, in a bid to create access to quality education.
Governor Wike also directed state-owned primary and secondary schools to stop collecting fees and levies from students and pupils with immediate effect.
He stated, yesterday, that henceforth, the state government would be sending direct allocations to all primary and secondary schools management for their operations.
The governor spoke during a meeting with the heads of primary and secondary schools, Rivers State Senior Secondary Schools Board and State Universal Basic Education Board at the Government House, Port Harcourt.
He said: “From today, henceforth, no child, either in primary or secondary schools should pay fees and levies in any school across the state.
“The monies you collect from these children are just used for your personal purposes.
“If I hear that any school head collects any fees or levies, be it National Examinations Council or West African Examinations Council, that school head would be sanctioned.
“We shall not only dismiss the school head, who collects fees or levies, we will prosecute the person involved.
“Government will work out grants that will be sent to the schools for their regular management and operations,” he said.
Governor Wike directed the Ministry of Education, the Rivers State Senior Secondary Schools Board and the State Universal Basic Education Board to monitor all public schools across the state to ensure compliance.
The governor noted that his administration funds the salaries, allowances, examinations and equipment of all public schools.
He assured parents that his administration would remain committed to the provision of quality education, which is accessible to the less-privileged.
“I have abolished all fees and levies and it will never happen again in our public primary and secondary schools.
“Nobody should collect fees and levies from the children of the less-privileged,” he said.
Meanwhile, Wike has said the state government will make critical interventions at the Port Harcourt International Airport to improve the international acceptance of the facility.
Wike also expressed happiness that Turkish Airlines will commence International flights to the Port Harcourt International Airport.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the new General Manager of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for South South and South East regions, Felix Akinbinu, at the Government House, Port Harcourt, Wike said the state government is committed to making the Port Harcourt International Airport the destination of choice in the country.
He said: “I will dualise the access road to the airport from the Owerri Road Junction into the airport. I will also reconstruct the road leading to the VIP Lounge at the airport.”
The state government