Taraba govt vows to deal with school principals, others frustrating Kefas’ education policy

The Taraba State Government has warned principals, head teachers, and examination officers plotting against the state’s education policy to desist from such acts.

The warning issued by the Commissioner of Education, Augustina Goodwin, during the weekend, followed the discovery of how some principals and examination officers have been surcharging students despite the government settling students’ West African Examination Certificate Examination fees.

Goodwin said the government would not hesitate to bring persons caught to book.

Some principals and examination officers had been suspended from their areas of primary assignments following their involvement in the allegations.

Some students from most of the schools visited have raised the alarm on how they have been denied the opportunity to benefit from the forthcoming WAEC that has been paid for by the state government, accusing their principals and examination officers of deliberately sabotaging the system.

They alleged that some principals and examination officers expunge their names and replace them with external candidates who agree to compensate them handsomely.

When reached for comments, some examination officers and principals who spoke with our reporter on the conditions of anonymity denied the students’ claims, stating that they are only working with the list made available to them by the Education Resource Centre of the state.

Denouncing the claims of the principals and examination officer, Goodwin insisted that the Education Resource Centre is not in a position to determine the number of students eligible to participate in the WAEC.

She warned that the ministry, in collaboration with the state government, will not sit back and watch a few individuals frustrate the education policy of the incumbent administration.