Ekiti to Dismiss Teachers Collecting Illegal Fees

Ekiti to Dismiss Teachers Collecting Illegal Fees

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

The Chairman of the Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (ESUBEB), Prof. Francisca Aladejana, has threatened to sack any teacher caught collecting illegal fees from pupils in public primary schools.

Prof. Aladejana gave the warning yesterday when he met with ESUBEB’s management and head teachers of Public Primary Schools in the state’s 16 Local Government Areas.

She reminded them that basic education is free and compulsory for all children within the school age in the state by virtue of Governor Kayode Fayemi’s Executive Order 1 of 2018 and the State Universal Basic Education Act.

According to her, the governor had mandated ESUBEB to ensure that no child was sent away from school on account of non-payment of fees.

She emphasized that: “It is a gross violation of the Universal Basic Education Act for pupils to be charged fees under any guise.”

Aladejana explained that the administration of Governor Fayemi is renovating schools in the state in a bid to provide a conducive teaching and learning environment.

According to her, the state government has also accelerated efforts to provide pupils and teachers with suitable furniture, toilet facilities, perimeter fencing and new buildings among others to boost the provision of basic education a boost in the
state

The ESUBEB Chairman urged teachers to redouble their efforts in the task of providing qualitative basic education to pupils. She added that Governor Fayemi recently demonstrated the high priority he accorded to teachers’ welfare by approving the payment of running grants for the entire three terms of the 2018/ 2019 academic session to all public schools in the state.

Aladejana, therefore, enjoined teachers to key into the various ongoing reforms in the basic education sector in the state, such as the issue of training and retraining teachers, introduction of child friendly initiatives and modern teaching techniques because educational sector remains one of the cardinal pillars of Dr Fayemi led administration.

She warned staff of the Local Government Education Authorities (LGEA), head teachers and other stakeholders against demanding for gratification from contractors handling school projects since the present administration in the state had zero tolerance for corruption and sharp practices.

Responding to the ESUBEB’s chairman’s remarks, one of the head teachers, Mr Femi Ojo thanked the board chairman for the meeting and promised to get their staff informed of government policies and plans for the basic education
subsector.

According to Ojo: “No reasonable individual would want to circumvent and be a clog on the wheels of progress of what the state government is doing in basic Education.”

Also addressing head teachers in Ilejemeje, Moba, Oye, Ido/Osi, Ijero and Efon Local Government Areas, the Commissioner II of the Board, Barrister Kayode Adeoye, urged teachers to shun, absenteeism, lateness to duties, partisan politics and other vices that could negatively affect their productivity.

Adeoye urged the head teachers to assist government in monitoring the ongoing renovation works and construction of infrastructure in their schools that as stakeholders and end users of the facilities.

According to him, the head teachers should ensure that the contractors adhere strictly to the project specification before certifying the projects for payment.

Also, the Permanent Secretary of ESUBEB, Mr. Olusesan Fabamise, explained to teachers and other stakeholders in Gbonyin, Ikole, Ekiti-East, Ikere, Emure and Ise/Orun Local Government Areas,

Fabamise said that it is the strategic place occupied by primary school teachers that informed the present administration’s decision to commit a lot of resources into improving their welfare.

The permanent secretary also informed the teachers that the recent restriction placed on the use of school fields for social activities during weekdays was informed by complaints that social activities had become a major source of distractions to teaching and learning in schools during weekdays.

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