THE Ekiti State government has ordered heads of public primary and secondary schools in the state, who had collected unauthorised levies at the beginning of the 2018/2019 academic year, to return same to their pupils and students.
The Deputy Governor, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, who ordered a full compliance by head teachers and principals of public primary and secondary schools Tuesday, said that the Education Development Levy and other unauthorised fees remain abolished in the state.
According to a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Odunayo Ogunmola, the Deputy Governor also directed that evidence of such refunds must be made available to the state’s Ministry of Education for verification.
Chief Egbeyemi stressed that where such fees had been collected and remitted into government coffers, such schools should bring evidence of such remittance to the Ministry of Education.
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The deputy governor explained said that the action was consequent upon the Executive Order 001 signed by the Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi on 24th October 2018 abolishing payment of Education Development Levy and other unauthorised fees in the state.
The government said: “Consequent upon the Executive Order 001 signed by the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, the Deputy Governor, Bisi Egbeyemi, has ordered a full compliance by the heads of all public primary and secondary schools in Ekiti State.”
According to the statement said the government expected that “no pupil of primary and student of secondary schools in Ekiti State should pay any unauthorised fee or levy, especially the Education Development Levy any longer.
“That is the case where such fees, especially the Education Development Levy, have been collected from pupils and students from this first term (2018/2019 academic session), such fees collected must be returned or refunded to the pupils and students and evidence of such refunds must be brought to the Ministry of Education for verification.
“That where such fees have been collected and remitted into government coffers, such schools should bring evidence of such remittance to the Ministry of Education.
“The above does not preclude voluntary donations, contributions from philanthropic bodies, Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) and School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs) made towards the improvement of education standards in schools across the state.
“Heads of public primary and secondary schools in Ekiti State are therefore warned to adhere strictly to the content of this directive from the state government.”
The directive has been conveyed in a letter to stakeholders in the education sector including the Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Education, Teaching Service Commission (TSC) and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
Others are All-Area Education Officers, state chapters of All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) and Association of Primary School Heads of Nigeria (AOPSHON).
The rest are Principals of Government Colleges/Science Colleges, Principals, Gifted Academy International, Afao/Special Schools; Principals of all Public Secondary Schools and Ekiti State chapter of National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS).
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