Cross River Assembly decries division in private school proprietors’ association

The Cross River State House of Assembly (CRHA) Committee on Education, led by Hon. Martins Achadu, has spoken out against the division within the Cross River State branch of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS).

During a meeting with NAPPS stakeholders at the mini auditorium of the State House of Assembly complex in Calabar, Achadu highlighted that the committee’s main concern is to ensure that no student eligible for the WAEC examination is prevented from participating due to issues within the Proprietors of Private Schools Association.

The committee urged the state’s Ministry of Education to permit private school owners to register students for WAEC without needing clearance from any factions of NAPPS beforehand.

Lawmakers indicated plans to hold another stakeholder meeting in two weeks to facilitate discussions with association members and work towards merging the factions into a single, unified entity.

“To the Permanent Secretary, please coordinate with the Ministry of Education to ensure that any private school wishing to register for WAEC is allowed to do so. Currently, we are carefully addressing the issues within both factions.

“We ask that you allow anyone seeking WAEC registration to proceed without needing to address the NAPPS registration fee issue at this time to avoid complications.”

Additionally, Samuel Neji-Abang, a member of the Cross River State House of Assembly and part of the Education Committee, urged the conflicting factions to remain calm while awaiting the committee’s final report.

Sir Godwin Okwu, the factional president of NAPPS in the state and an attendee of the meeting, condemned the former executive committee for operating the association like a personal venture and failing to provide accountability to its members.

Okwu called on the Ministry of Education not to permit any NAPPS faction to collect fees from school proprietors on behalf of the ministry, suggesting the ministry handle the collection of fees directly during the registration for the 2025 West African Examination Council (WAEC).

“We had a leadership that spent nine years in power with no financial accountability despite collecting fees and failing to answer to members.

“The ministry may not be aware of our challenges. We are not troublemakers; we want to collaborate with the ministry. If there are any instructions or guidelines, please provide them, and we will comply to facilitate our cooperation with the ministry rather than these factions.”

In response, Pastor Abraham Osok, the other factional leader of NAPPS in the state, expressed that while he prefers to remain discreet on certain matters, he continues to assert his position as the president of NAPPS in the state.

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