Mr Udom Emmanuel, Governor of Akwa Ibom State. (Photo credit : Facebook {Ikenna Kalu})
By Abasifreke Effiong and Kufre Etuk
After about 15 years of running free and compulsory education policy in public primary and secondary schools, the Akwa Ibom State Government has approved reintroduction of levy in secondary schools.
The Dune gathered exclusively that the State Government directed Principals of secondary schools to collect N500 levy from all students from JSS1 to SS3.
The directive was given at a meeting held in January between government representatives and Principals of secondary schools.
The meeting reportedly had the Secretary to State Government, Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem, then Commissioner for Education, Dr. Ini Adiakpan (now Commissioner for Women Affairs), Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Ini Ememobong, Mrs Idongesit Etiebet, now Commissioner for Education among others in attendance.
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The State Government did not communicate the decision asking Principals of schools to start collecting levy from students to the public after the meeting.
However, some Principals of schools said they were directed to collect N500 from each student to be able to conduct the second terminal examination since government could not pay subvention.
“We were told to collect N500 per student so that we can use it to type question papers for the terminal exams since subvention was not forthcoming”, a Principal who pleaded anonymity told The Dune.
Mrs Idongesit Etiebet, Commissioner for Education, Akwa Ibom State.
Principals of schools have complained that the State Government was no longer paying subvention to the schools regularly and it was impossible for them to continue to run the schools without chalk, stationary and funds to provide materials for internal examination.
They said subvention was paid once in the 2019/2020 academic year. Schools have not received subvention in the current academic year.
The State Government pays N200 as subvention per student to Principals for the running of public schools.
The Dune learnt that subvention was usually paid per term until 2015 when the payment became irregular.
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Principal of a public secondary school in Etinan, said throughout the 2019/2020 school year, she received N124,000 to run a school with a student population of 620. The amount the Principal said was grossly inadequate for a whole session.
“Subvention is a thing of the past now. Throughout 2019/2020 session, subvention was paid only once and that was in 3rd term.”
“As the head of the school, we have made very distressing sacrifice like using our little salary to buy stationary for teachers to prepare note of lessons, and chalk. N200 subvention per student for a whole academic session is not enough.”
The Akwa Ibom State Government claimed in her 2019 audited financial statements that N400 million was paid as subvention to 251 secondary/technical school heads at N200 per child in 2019. This implies that government paid subvention for two (2) million students in secondary schools in the State that year.
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As of three weeks ago when secondary schools in the State were writing the second terminal examination, the State Government did not pay subvention for 2020/2021 academic session.
Students at Cornelia Cornely College, Afaha Oku, Uyo told these reporters that the school authorities told them to pay N500 before they would be allowed to write their terminal examination.
This was corroborated by students at Uyo High School, Uyo; Etoi Secondary School, Mbiabong Etoi; Ibesikpo Secondary Commercial School, Nung Udoe, Ibesikpo Asutan; Community Secondary Grammar School, Ikot Itina, Etinan.
During fact-finding visit to Cornelia Cornely College, Afaha Oku, Principal of the school, Mrs Grace Ekwere, said the State Government directed all Principals of schools to collect N500 from all the students.
Ekwere said many students have refused to pay the money, giving excuses that their parents said government was paying for every student.
“The government had a meeting with all the principals of secondary schools on 2nd January. It was at that meeting that we were told to collect N500 from all the students so that we will able to provide basic consumables for the classrooms.”
“We are running free and compulsory education but most times because the money is not there I will have to use my salary to buy chalk. Sometimes when I don’t have money I go to town to people selling stationary to collect chalk from them on credit. In this school, we use one carton of chalk everyday.”
“Many students have not paid the N500 because they have not been paying money. So by next term, we will convene P.T.A meeting to discuss this development”, Ekwere said in January when secondary schools were writing second terminal examination.
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During the visit to Cornelia Cornely College, these reporters observed that examination questions were written on blackboard in some classes. However, students in some other classes had examination questions typed out in question paper.
Schools in Akwa Ibom State resumed on Monday 1st February for the third term with much fear that the government will discontinue the free and compulsory education policy.
Former Governor of the State, Obong Victor Attah started the free education policy for elementary school to junior secondary 3. The administration of Chief Godswill Akpabio expanded the free education policy to cover senior secondary school and started payment of WAEC/NABTEB examination fees for students in all public secondary schools in the State.
Akpabio’s administration introduced payment of subvention of N300 per student per term in secondary schools and N200 subvention per pupil per term in primary schools.
The subvention was revised to N200 per student in secondary schools and N100 per pupil in primary schools by the Udom Emmanuel administration. Payment of the revised subvention has been staggered since 2016, Principals told The Dune.
Principal of a secondary school in ONNA, Governor Emmanuel’s local government area, who spoke on grounds of anonymity for fear of sanctions by the Ministry of Education told The Dune Newspaper that payment of subvention has been staggered since 2016.
“We collect subvention once, at most twice in an academic session; it used to be paid per term during Akpabio’s administration. In the last academic session, that is 2019/2020, subvention was paid once, that was during the promotion exams. For the current academic session, we have not received subvention yet, so we are practically using our salary to run the schools.”
Effort to speak with the Commissioner for Education, Mrs Idongesit Etiebet, on the intention of government by reintroducing levy in schools as well as the future of the free and compulsory education, proved abortive.
Etiebet did not respond to SMS sent to her known mobile phone number.
When contacted, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Ini Ememobong said Etiebet was in the right position to speak on the issue.
“I will plead that you give her sometime to speak on that. You know she just resumed work as Commissioner for Education. So, allow her sometime. She is the right person to speak on that.”
Ememobong admitted that he was present at the meeting where Principals of schools were directed to levy each student N500.
