Public school heads warned against extortion, monetisation of supplies in Niger State

The Niger State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has warned against the monetisation of essential working implements and the outright extortion of parents during school resumption by any public school heads.

Niger State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Dr. Hadiza Asabe Mohammed, issued this warning in a statement ahead of the school resumption on Monday.

She reiterated that any school manager found guilty of these practices would be sanctioned and punished accordingly.

The Commissioner noted that given the prevailing economic situation, it would be unfair to burden parents with unnecessary charges for items such as packets of chalk, hoes, and cutlasses for their children.

Dr. Hadiza also admonished against the extortion of money in the name of registration and admission fees. She warned that no school should issue admissions into secondary school, as this is solely the responsibility of the Ministry, which provides admission with an index number.

“These issues have been discussed during the recent zonal meetings with school managers, zonal quality assurance directors, head teachers, education secretaries, and teachers to improve the educational landscape in the state,” the Commissioner reminded the managers.

According to the statement, to lessen the burden on parents, the Ministry will provide every student with a school badge and identification card free of charge, and no school manager should request payment for these items.

Furthermore, the state government, under the leadership of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, is exploring ways to provide every child from ECCDE to secondary school with free school uniforms.

The statement also mentioned that the per-term Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) fees have been revised for boarding, day, and primary schools, to be paid per term rather than annually. Boarding students are to pay N2,000 per term, day students N1,000 per term, and primary students N500 per term to the PTA officials, not to the school managers.

PTAs are advised to open accounts in the name of their respective schools for transparency and accountability. No money should be used without the consent of the Ministry.

The Commissioner assured of Governor Umaru Mohammad Bago’s commitment to improving the quality and integrity of the education system in line with his policy thrust of the New Niger Agenda.