Nigeria: Commissioner Blamed for Education Crisis in Imo State

14 November 2006

Owerri — The Imo State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Gloria Chukwukere has been accused of stifling education in the state due to her unpopular policies, which led to the recent three-day protest of secondary school students in the state. The protest, which started penultimate Friday lasted till the following Friday, prompting the State Government to close down all public schools in the state indefinitely. Parents who spoke the THISDAY on the basis of anonymity blamed the Commissioner for what they called her insensitivity to the standard of education in the state. They also complained bitterly about the increase in school fees and other school levies.

They frowned at the recent increase in the terminal school from N1, 500 to N10, 000 for junior secondary students an between N18,000 to N30,000 per senior secondary school student. The parents also complained that the Commissioner allegedly introduced a system where students were compulsorily made to pay for every thing in the school, including a computer text book allegedly designed by her and sold at an exorbitant rate by the school principals. Chukwukere was also accused of withholding some allowances due to secondary school teachers in the state.

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