Delta govt suspends school head, sets up panel after pupil’s video goes viral

The head teacher of Okotie-Eboh Primary School in Sapele Local Government Area, Mrs Vero Igbigwe, has been suspended by the Delta State Government for allegedly collecting illegal fees including examination levies from schoolchildren.

This came in after a video went viral online showing a schoolgirl, Success Adebor, protesting against the school’s decision to send her home over her parents’ failure to pay her second term examination fee.

She had lamented, that she would have preferred to be flogged, rather than being sent home from school.

The state Commissioner for Education, Mr Chiedu Ebie, who visited the school on Monday to verify the claims in the video, said that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa administration would not condone any form of extortion by state officials.

Ebie, along with the Chairman, Sapele Local Government Area of the state, Chief Eugene Inoaghan, a former state Commissioner for Housing, Chief Paulinus Akpeki, and other top officials of the ministry who visited the school, ordered a thorough investigation into the action of the suspended head teacher.

Speaking with journalists after interrogating the head teacher, Ebie said:

“There is right to fair hearing. So, what will happen is that a detailed investigation would be set up to look into the issue in details.

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“Like I did say, I conducted a preliminary investigation but in the interim we have to suspend her (Mrs Igbigwe) as the head teacher of this school pending the outcome of the investigation.

“That suspension will take effect as from today (Monday). Obviously, there are contradictions in her story because everybody was there when they talked about school fees. It was obvious that Success was sent home because of her inability or her parents to pay the supposed fees which is not in any way part of the 2018/2019 levies.”

The Commissioner, who emphasised on the need for free education at primary and secondary levels in the state added:

“Education at the basic level is free. However, it is not unusual that levies are imposed. Even at the unity schools, we have levies but these levies must be for specific purposes and must also be very minimal for the children or their guardians can afford.

“First of all, you need to take into consideration that we are not just dealing with one school. In Delta State, we have 1,125 public primary schools; we have 465 public secondary schools and six technical colleges. It is not humanly possible to attend to all of them at the same time. What we do is that we deal with them in phases.”

He however, disclosed that the state government had awarded the contract for the upgrade of the school before Success’ viral video came out and assured the people that the project would be given urgent attention before the resumption of next term.

By Todimu Ogunade…

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