Loading ...*** FSP School Parents Cries Out
*** Teachers Collect #10k, #25k & #38k
*** Education Ministry Keep’s Mute
*** Women Affairs Ministry Fingers
*** We are not Aware- Education Ministry
The purpose of governance in any society is to provide security, education and social amenities. But when these are not provided for the society, it becomes helpless and the essence of the government of the day may be seen confused.
The Family Support Programme (FSP) of the then military administration in the state established Nursery/Primary schools and health institution which provides special services that promotes the Poverty Alleviation programme under Ministry of Women Affairs in the state has become a conduit pipe to parents that has runs contrary for the free policy in Education of the Restoration Agenda of Bayelsa State.
Available information on our disposal said, the FSP Nursery/Primary schools, Ovom in Yenagoa was a non-profit making institution then to meet the educational needs of the poor parents which has now metamorphosed to money spinning venture for the operators.
According to the document, the management of the school in connivance with the Ministry of Women Affairs introduce school fees amounting to the sum of Twenty Five Thousand Naira (#25,000) per pupil on yearly basis. While, at the Secondary level each student pays Ten Thousand Naira (#10,000) tuition fee per term after the Preliminary Admission Fee of Thirty Eight Thousand Naira (#38,000) to the detriment of the Free Education Policy as announced by the Governor, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson years back.
Some parents said, the school management has milked them dry that they could no longer afford the cost and thinking of withdrawing their children, stressing that, they have severally reported the matter to the Education Ministry and no action was taken. Even they wrote to the authority but is likely that the letters did not get to the Governor.
Citizen Journalist suspects that, the administrative staff are frustrating the mails getting to the governor. The parents further alleged that the Ministry did not give attention when they protested against the unauthorized and illegal collection of school fees, that the Children Affairs department also collude for this unholy act as illegal beneficiaries.
“It is sad that the children are driven daily out of their classrooms on account of school fee drives which pose enormous danger to the children. On daily basis, children who cannot afford the unauthorized and illegal school fees are subjected to harassment, flogging and other in human treatment meted to the children by the teachers for not being able to pay up their fees to the school authority”, parents lament.
A staff who pleaded anonymity said they received the minuted letter from the high top which would have been directed to the office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) who in turn should have issued a circular to that effect. But since such was not done, the Ministry of Education is handicap to process the letter hence no action has been taken out.
The staff further said, free education in the state is on paper as they have seen because several other public schools are on fees, even I have been paying long before this time, so we are just leaving every thing to God for us to be free from the system.
In its 89th State Executive Council (SEC) metting, the Honourable Commissioner of Education vowed to arrest and prosecute any parent who refuses to send his or his child to school to acquire formal education.
But this statement has not yields positive impact as children seen Hawking on the street and the ones in school are being estorted while government turns blind eyes to the issue.
