Oyo State government has warned principals and teachers of public schools who have been collecting illegal fees from the students to desist from the practice, saying any recalcitrant officers caught will not go unpunished.
The commissioner for education, science and technology, Professor Salihu Adelabu gave the warning while speaking with newsmen in his Office, describing the act as illegal.
He reiterated that the state government policy on education is free from primary to secondary level in all public schools across the state.
He urged parents and guardians not to pay any fee to principals or teachers, but report anyone who might request or ask them for payment at the ministry.
The commissioner, therefore, hinted that any principal or teacher found guilty will be seriously dealt with.
According to him, ‘’Before school resumed, We had a stakeholders meeting, where we warned all our teachers to desist from illegal collection of fees.
“Because in Oyo state, the school is free, Education is free in Oyo state; from the basic to secondary schools. As regards the collection of illegal fees, we cannot run away from bad eggs among our teachers, we have been hearing this rumour, I call it a rumor because we have been hunting for school principals and teachers that are collecting levies from our students.
“In fact, some Zonal Inspectorate Education Officers, (ZIE), our PS; inspector General of Education have been disguising in schools with money to pay such illegal fees when there is a red flag that; in this school, they are collecting illegal fee, I think I can mention two or three of such.
“There was a radio programme some time ago that they were collecting illegal fees in one of the secondary schools in Iseyin, They tagged the fee as ‘IFINKO’, so we quickly called the PS, IGE in charge of that zone.
‘He conducted a search, and he discovered that nothing of such happened. There was another incident in IDO, we were trying to at least get one or two as a scapegoat, until now, we are unable to get a result.
“We are not resting on our oars because we have stumbled on one, and we are seriously working to unravel the truth of the matter, if we can get it, if that information is correct, that particular teacher will definitely be queried and is going to face the panel, so, all our teachers should be very careful.
“To the parents, they should know that education is free in Oyo state, no school, no head of school should demand a dime.’’
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