School enrolment: Kaduna govt warns teachers against collecting money from parents

The Kaduna State Government on Monday warned teachers and administrators of public primary and junior secondary schools against collecting money from parents before enrolling their children.

Mrs Phoebe Yayi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, gave the warning while reacting to allegations by some parents that they were being asked to pay a certain amount of money before enrolling their children.

Yayi told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Kaduna that basic education in the state remains free, while the girl-child would be educated free until graduation from secondary school.

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“Therefore, no teacher, headteacher or any school administrator should collect any amount of money from parents under any guise before enrolling a child.

“We will investigate this and sanction anyone found committing such gruesome offence, which is counterproductive to the Nasir El-Rufai led administration’s effort to provide quality education to children in the state,” she said.

She called on parents to report anyone who demands money to register their child to appropriate authorities for the government to take necessary action.

The permanent secretary described the turnout of students as ‘very impressive’, adding that academic activities had fully commenced.

NAN reports that public schools in the state have witnessed a mass turnout of students and pupils as academic activities began for the 2019/2020 session.

NAN correspondent who monitored some of the public secondary and primary schools in Kaduna reports that most of the schools had about 80 per cent pupils’ resumption.

Teachers were also seen in their classrooms teaching, while registration of new pupils in primary schools was ongoing in all the school visited.

NAN