Delta State Government says despite the state’s prevailing challenges, it will not introduce payment of school fees in its primary and post-primary schools but to double its efforts in partnering with the private sector to uplift the standard of education in the state.
Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Chiedu Ebie, made this known in Asaba on Wednesday. He said Delta State Government under Governor Ifeanyi Okowa places a premium on education and warned that any move to sabotage this effort will be resisted by the government.
Ebie said six head teachers have been arrested and others demoted over illegal fees collection.
The media briefing was an offshoot of the case of Success Adegor, a seven-year-old primary three pupil of Okotie Eboh Primary School, Sapele, sent out of school for non-payment of school fees.
Ebie admitted that before now, the Ministry had treated reports of cases of collection of illegal levies by head teachers outside the state government’s approved fees.
He listed the state ministry of education’s approved levies in its schools and charged journalists and parents to always come forward with evidence of default so as to punish the culprits.
According to Ebie, Delta State with its 1,125 public primary schools, 465 secondary and six technical colleges, the government is doing everything possible to raise the bar of education in the state noting that various schools have received facelifts while others are ongoing.