Ogbonna Casmir
Enugu state government has warned that principals of government schools found cheating or collaborating with examiners to cheat during examinations will be sacked while certificate of recognition of proprietors of recognized private secondary schools will be withdrawn.
The State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Uchenna Eze who disclosed at a meeting with the Enugu State Command of Anti-Corruption Awareness Organization Nigeria (ACAON), in his office, said an armed robber is better than a teacher who promotes examination malpractice.
Prof. Eze said that most of the recent WAEC examination subjects may have serious problems and that all ‘miracle center schools’ will be closed down in the state. He explained that what he observe at most of the examination centers he visited was horrible and cannot be condoned by any decent society.
To make its warning real, no fewer than thirty principals in Enugu State Secondary School System were recently removed for collecting illegal fees while over fifteen detected culprits of miracle centre examination frauds have been placed on six months suspension without salary.
The Chairman of Enugu State Post Primary Schools Management Board (PPSMB), Mr. Nestor Ezeme who disclosed this when Enugu State Command of Anti-Corruption Awareness Organization Nigeria (ACAON), paid courtesy visit in his office, said his Board was leaving no stone unturned to deal with cheats in the education industry.
He pointed out that 365 evaders of retirement who either falsified age or length of service were discovered and instantly retired while 212 ghost workers were also found and their salary stopped, as nobody came to complain or protest non-payment of salary after the payment of the months’ salary.
It was learnt that some school principals were caught red handed with large cash, alleged to have been collected from their students to aid exam malpractices during the just concluded WAEC examinations by the Hon. Commissioner and his team when it paid unscheduled visits to some schools earlier accused of conducting examination malpractice.
It was also learnt that those involved were said to be under serious investigation by state government to serve as a deterrent to others before the commencement of on-coming NECO examinations.
Meanwhile, the education commissioner has frowned at the weakness of the foundation of education in the state which he said has resulted in the current poor education standard where stakeholders purportedly discourage hard work student with the claim that they have master plans for the students.
He said the greatest problem facing our society now is attitudinal, however pledged to partner fully with ACAON to bring in positive enlightenment to exterminate corruption in education industry in the state.
The chairman of ACAON, SCPN Bassey Okon, who was represented by the state secretary SCPN Obi Okonkwo had earlier in his speech urged the education ministry to live to their responsibility by stamping out organized collaboration of examination bodies with principals and proprietors of “special/miracle examination centers” in the state to cheat in examinations.
