BY UKET OKA, Calabar
Cross River State Commissioner for Education, Senator Stephen Odey, has suspended indefinitely, two principals of government owned secondary schools in Calabar, the State capital.
The two Principals are those of Government Secondary School, State Housing Estate, Calabar Municipality, Mr. Esang Usang and West African People’s Institute (WAPI) Calabar, Mr Owoh Effiong .
The suspension which came less than 12 hours after the State Governor, Prince Bassey Edet Otu had ordered the immediate suspension of the Director General of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Chief (Mrs.)
Angela Ogeyi Odey, followed the Commissioner’s unscheduled visit to the two schools Monday.
Daylight Reporters gathered that the Education Commissioner had received incessant complaints from parents and guardians about the schools’ illegal levies collection and decided to embark on the visit to verify the complaints from the students.
The Commissioner was said to have discovered on his arrival at Government Secondary School, State Housing Estate, Calabar, that the school principal was found wanting in the collection of illegal and unapproved levies.
“A parent who was in the school to pay the levies further confirmed by saying how much she paid contrary to the Ministry of Education’s approval.
“In further confirmation, the Commissioner went into JSS 3, JSS 1 and SS 2 classes and discovered how much that they have been paying as illegal levies,” our sources at the school said.
“The Principal of West African People’s Institute (WAPI), Mr Owoh Effiong was suspended following the evidence/records of illegal levies he has been collecting which he admitted himself.
“Records available on comparison, shows clearly that the Principal was at fault,” another source at WAPI said.
Commissioner Odey directed the Vice Principal Administration of Government Secondary School, State Housing Estate, Calabar, Mrs Effiom Uduak Orok to immediately take over as the Acting Principal.
Similarly, the Vice Principal Administration, of West Africa People’s Institute (WAPI), Calabar, Mrs. Emem Ijang has been directed to take over as the Acting Principal following an interview conducted on the spot by the Commissioner among the school three Vice Principals, pending further investigation by the Ministry of Education.
Senator Odey further warned other school Principals in the State to adhere strictly to only government approved levies to avoid sanctions as well as urged parents not to hesitate to report any school principal acting outside the Ministry of Education directives.
