Liberia: Flexibility Fees Backfires - As Moe Dismisses School Adm, Suspends 42 Senoir Students for Academic Fraud

The Ministry of Education has dismissed the entire administrative staff, including some teachers, of the Elizebeth Tubman Memoral Institute (ETMI) located in Cadwell, upper new Georgia, Montserrado County. Making the disclure at the Ministry of the Education new offices on 19th street Sinkor yesterday, Deputy Education Minister for Instruction, Mator Kparngba said the act of the ETMI admiunistration collecting 'flexibility fees' from students is totally against the educational policy of the country. The Principal, Madam Florence Allen Johnson, along with her two vice principals for instruction and administration respectively, Michael Myers, Moses Moore has been dismissed. The Physics Instructors, Bockarie Kamara, Mohamed Kromah and other instructors were also dismessed for collecting 'flexibility fees and for other financial misconduct. At the sametime, Minister Kparngba has suspended all 42 senior students involved in the payment of flexibility fees for two years. The minister said the students will also not be allowed to resit the West African Examination until after serving their suspension period. Meanwhile, the students, the administrative staff and teachers involved except the principal have admitted paying and receiving the amount of LD$1000 for each student as flexibility fees. One of the students, Doris George stated that the amount of LD$27,0000 was collected from the 42 students due to a demand by the administration. The Vice Principal for Instruction, Micheal Myers has admited to receving said amount, but said that he acted upon the orders of his boss lady Madam Florence Allen Johnson, who is the principal. He said the money was intended to help the students successfully pass the 2012 WAEC exams. According to Mr. Bockarie Kamara, a Physics Instructor, LD$23,000 of the total money collected from the students was given to him to establish a 'deal' which serves to explore possibilities for the students to pass the test, but added that all efforts in that direction proved fruitless. Mr. Kamara said neither WAEC officials nor a second party were willing to accept the offer, something that led to the failure of their mission. The entire flexibility fee issue between the students and the administration came to light when 35 of the 42 students staged a protest to express their anger over the failure of the administration to execute the plan to enable all of them to pass the WAEC exam. The strike action which led to the destruction of several school materials was only halted after the timely intervention of the police. Several student rioters and some members of the school administation were later detained at the police station Caldwell depot Police station, until they were later released upon the intervention of the Ministry of Education. The dismissal decision was taken by the ministry after investigating the students and the school authorities during which some of them admitted to their involvement in commiting the act.

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