WAEC FEES PADDING: Imo Principals Get Serious Warning By SEMB Secretary

 

Palpable fears is said to be running in the spines of some secondary school principals in Imo State over an utterance made by the Executive Secretary Imo State Secondary Education Management Board SEMB,Dame Augustina Azubuike.

Addressing all the school principals from Orlu and Okigwe zones recently at Government Secondary School Owerri, the Executive Secretary SEMB,warned against erroneous extortion of the students and padding of WAEC registration fees.She said that some families find it difficult to feed based on the present economic realities in the country and wondered why some school Heads will still go about shortchanging the students dubiously all in a bid to make extra money.

She insisted that Imo State is still practicing Free education under governor Hope Uzodinma and warned them against painting the governor black.

Irked by the dubious activities of some school heads,the Education secretary said that any principal that will charge students  fees contrary to the approved stipulated fees,will use the excesses for hospital bills on ailments that will befall them for going against the rules.

She said that she was a school principal before her appointment as the Executive Secretary and that she never indulged in illicit activities capable of dragging her name to the mud.

She urged the principals to be creative and look for other avenues to make money than exploiting the vulnerable students under their care, disclosing that as a principal,she planted palm fruits, plantains and casava, which generated income for the school and queried them on what they will be remembered for after leaving a particular school.

She used the medium to inform them that they are supervisors of schools and not school managers, pointing out that schools are managed by the Education Board and ministry of Education and that as supervisors, they can be transferred to other schools.

She seemingly warned them that they are not accountants nor traders,and should not be collecting money or allow teachers turn the schools to market place.

The number one principal, similarly urged them to eschew dichotomy, selfishness,bitterness and rancour.

Our correspondent that monitored the interactive session reports that they school heads were not comfortable with the curse placed on them by the executive secretary,as murmurings enveloped the 1000 sitting capacity hall after the executive secretarys utterance.One of the principals from Obowo LGA,( name withheld),pleaded on their boss to rescind on her utterance, stressing that there is power in spoken words.

Earlier in the meeting,one of the participants applauded the executive secretary for the educative and informative interactive session, saying that such meetings where they are at liberty to express their feelings and challenges should be sustained.

Some of them that spoke from Orlu and Okigwe zones hinged their challenges on insecurity, vandalization of school property, short payment of salaries and lack of perimeter fencing.

It would be recalled that principals from Owerri zone has earlier held their meeting with the Executive Secretary at Owerri City School.