By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Government has announced disciplinary actions and launched a formal investigation into the controversial incident involving the alleged sale of head prefect nomination forms for N5,000 to pupils in a private primary school in the state.
The development, which sparked public outcry, occurred at Blossom Fount School, a private institution in Awka, where it was alleged that each pupil aspiring to become a prefect was asked to purchase a nomination form at the cost of five thousand naira (N5,000).
Reacting to the incident in an exclusive interview with this reporter on Sunday, the Anambra State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, confirmed that the government had swiftly intervened and taken initial steps to address the situation.
According to the Commissioner, the teacher directly linked to the allegation has been placed on a one-month suspension, while a Special Committee has been set up by the Ministry to investigate the incident thoroughly.
Prof. Chuma-Udeh explained that the school, during preliminary engagement with the Ministry on Thursday, claimed that the idea of selling the nomination form was only mentioned during a Parents Teachers Association (PTA) meeting and was thereafter dropped following widespread opposition from parents.
The Commissioner, however, noted that the school claimed it remained unclear how the said form still found its way into circulation, which was attributed to the actions of the now-suspended teacher, whose identity is yet to be revealed.
While also hinting that the Ministry will again engage with the school authority this week and possibly with some parents of the school children and some pupils anytime soon in the course of the investigation, she emphasized that further details would be withheld pending the conclusion and the outcome of the Committee’s investigation.
Describing the alleged act as reprehensible, the Commissioner said it amounted to planting seeds of corruption in the minds of innocent children and turning leadership into a transaction rather than a merit-based responsibility; even as she warned sternly that such practices have no place in the educational system of Anambra State under Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration.
According to her, such act is a deeply troubling attempt to commercialize student leadership and exploit children’s ambitions for financial gain, and is absolutely unacceptable.
“We must protect the dignity and rights of children in our schools,” she stated, further reiterating the commitment of the Soludo-led government to upholding ethical standards and fairness within the school system, and warning that any form of exploitation or extortion, whether in private or public schools, would be met with stiff sanctions.
Sources have it that additional measures may be taken against the school and the suspended teacher, depending on the outcome of the ongoing investigation, to serve as deterrence to others who may contemplate similar misconduct.
