The Rivers State Universal Basic Education Board (RSUBEB), last Friday slammed an indefinite suspension on two more principals of junior secondary schools in the state for collecting unapproved illegal admission fees.
This brings to four principals of junior secondary schools of basic education since the war against corruption and indiscipline by the present RSUBEB led by Dr Fyneface Akah started.
The two affected school principals include those of Junior Secondary School Omoku in Ogba/Egbema /Ndoni Local Government Area and Community Secondary School, Odaga in Abua/Odual Local Government Area.
The Executive Chairman of RSUBEB, Dr Fyneface Akah therefore directed them to hand over to the most senior Vice Principals of their affected schools with immediate effect pending the investigation of their allegations and resolution, ,adding that the board has not asked any principals to charge any money for admission fees from students across the state.
Akah said this when he had an audience with Omoku Community Education Committee and other groups who paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Port Harcourt over the weekend and expressed worry that he did not understand why people want to have their way in bringing wrong practices, insisting that they did not want Principals who are not qualified to be appointed as heads of schools but they are just there because somebody wanted them to remain as Principals.
According to him, the board trains principals and position them on quality leadership and added that Principals do not have any right to send children away from school because their parents were unable to pay admission fees.
“You do not stop children from accessing any learning environment because their parents are not able to buy their uniforms. You do not do that of course, even the school where SBMC has received their approval for them to make contribution towards the running of the school.
You don’t put those charges on the children, parents should pay and if parents are unable to pay ,that does not mean that they should be sent away from school.
This is the policy and norm approved by the board.
And there we stand today so that these people that are doing whatever they are doing, they risk their job and we will not keep one person who did not obey the policy,” he stated.
The chairman of the board also disclosed that they have rules that regulate actions and practice direction of Principals who will misbehave and by so doing, portray themselves to be disobedient.
“Suspension is not the sufficent disciplinary measures for Principals of schools who are on suspension and each time it happens, they come and plead for leniency and they continue to committ the offence with impunity,” he said
Akah further told groups that running of schools should not be left in the hands of government alone, adding that communities and individuals must complement the efforts of government in that regard.
He explained that the when the missionaries who brought and establish most the schools in the past play their roles in development of education and didn’t leave it a lone for government .
In their various responses ,
The Rivers State primary health care (RSPHCMB) led by Dr Babbo Diana.
seek the permission of the RSUBEB of visiting school for imunazation from the 20th of this month.
The chairman of Omoku Community Education Committee, Prof John C. Imegi expressed appreciation of the chairman of the RSUBEB for his transparent manner and support for schools in the area .
Also the chairman of Community Development Committee (CDC) Of Obigwe community , Ogwe Gladson Chijioke in Ogba/ Egbema /Ndoni local government council of Rivers State.
On behalf of the entire good people of the Obigwe, the Ochi-Ohna in Council, the women, the youth, the school based management Committee, SBMC /SIP, CPS Obigwe also expressed they heartfelt gratitude to the RSUBEB for the showed love and unrelentless magnanimity to their people through the approval of various execution plethora of projects in the community.

By: Akujobi Amadi