Akure News

Ondo Govt bans illegal collection in Public secondary schools – AkureNews

As preparations are in full swing for the 2025/2026 academic session, the Ondo State Government has forthwith prohibited the illegal collection of money in all public schools in the state, a direct response to calls for repositioning the education sector.

The decision was made during a meeting organised by the state Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, which brought together all secondary school principals from the 18 local government areas of the state and union leaders in the education sector.

The Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, Professor Igbekele Ajibefun, addressed the principals, commending them for their efforts in managing the schools and urging their continued cooperation.

“There are issues as far as the management of schools in Ondo State is concerned. It is our belief that this meeting will address these issues, and we will make decisions by the end of it,” he explained.

The commissioner emphasised that most public schools in the state have been involved in illegal collections, stressing that from now on, any collection must first be approved by the Ministry of Education.

His words: “We have received reports of schools receiving unapproved collections. It is now unlawful for any school to collect any amount without approval; serious sanctions will follow.”

He also informed the principals that all new student admissions would be migrated to a digital platform where all student data would be available. While schools will still admit students, the Ministry of Education will be responsible for issuing the official admission letters.

“We want to gradually migrate all our students and our activities to the digital platform. This will make it easier for the Ministry to supervise from our end.

“The Ministry of Education has realised the importance of technology. Admissions will be digitised according to the carrying capacity of each school. The school will admit, but the registration will be transferred to the digital platform. No school can go beyond its carrying capacity. Anyone who goes against this will be sanctioned,” he said.

Professor Ajibefun also noted that the state would not condone lateness by teachers and students, cultism in secondary and tertiary institutions, unruly behaviour, absenteeism, the unauthorised harvesting of economic trees on school premises, vandalism, or the invasion of schools by hoodlums.

“We are in for serious business; unruly behaviour in our schools must be reversed. We have our own culture of respect, and discipline must be returned to our schools. It is the principals’ responsibility to entrench this; they have to be firm. We are not going to sit in our offices to make these policies work. We will intensify monitoring of schools, so expect us anytime,” he added.

Speaking on the reading culture, the commissioner said, “Let us not lie to ourselves; there is a poor reading culture in our schools today because of over-dependence on ‘expo’ during examinations. Ondo State will not condone this anymore; we will bring back our reading culture.

“We all have a role to play. There won’t be cheating in any of our schools. We will come up with strategies to combat this. Any school found culpable will be sanctioned,” he warned.

In response, the President of the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), Dr. Fadekemi Jogbodo, expressed appreciation for the state’s laudable reforms, stating that they were long overdue.

She pledged the collaboration of principals in implementing the policies and requested the involvement of law enforcement agencies as well as government-led sensitisation of parents.

She also urged the state government to prioritise the welfare of teachers, adding: “We can achieve all these reforms. We are still pleading for the promotion of principals to Grade Level 17, the recognition of best teachers and principals during World Teachers’ Day, the training of teachers, the recruitment of ICT teachers in our schools, and infrastructural development.

“We pledge to support the quest for the repositioning of education in our great state. We recognise the importance of collaborative leadership, and we are eager to work closely with you to ensure the success of these initiatives,” she added