….31 Principals to be suspended, sacked

…Gov’t paid over 450 million WAEC fees for indigenous students

By Ike Uchechukwu CALABAR

Cross River State Commissioner for Education, Senator Stephen Odey PhD, has dismissed allegations of padding the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) registration list for indigenous students.

Dr. Odey however clarified that the error occurred during compilation, with some names being inadvertently repeated.

Recalled that the Cross River state Government had announced that all indigenous student’s enrolling for WAEC  this year would not have to a pay kobo for the examination  as it had concluded plans to pay for thier fees while setting up desk officers in the three Senatorial  disctrictvti compile the list.

The Commissioner, who debunked the rumours of padding of the WAEC list during a press briefing  on Tuesday in Calabar, the State capital, assured that the necessary corrections had been made, reducing the list from 16,301 to 16,287 names.

The Commissioner explained that three desk officers were assigned to each senatorial district for the compilation process to ensure efficient administration.

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He further revealed that out of the submitted list of 16,301 names, about 20 schools failed to submit their details on time, resulting in their exclusion from the final list.

In terms of financial commitments, he stated that the government was investing about 450 million naira for WAEC registration fees for indigenous  students.

Odey emphasized that the allegations of padding were baseless and solely due to a typographical error during compilation.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to address educational issues, stressing that more than 1,000 students from 20 schools missed out on registration due to their principals’ late submissions.

The Commissioner also touched upon the importance of regulating schools to stop proliferation of unregistered institutions, expressing their intention to crack down on illegal establishments.

Odey, who also emphasized the need for schools to be properly registered, threatened the consequences for those unable to meet the necessary standards.

Additionally, he disclosed that they had requested the employment of 6,000 teachers to bolster the state’s educational system.

Speaking further, he also disclosed that the 36 Principals who were indicted over various cases of corruption, only six were exonerated  while 31 would be facing disciplinary actions.

“Out of the 36 principals who were found wanting for various illicit activities, six of them have been exonerated while 31 others would be facing disciplinary action.

“Recommendations have been made to include suspension and their eventual  removal as principals,” he said.