The Education Secretary for Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State, Sunny Okechukwu, has cautioned heads of public primary and junior secondary schools in the LGA against collecting levies from pupils and students.
He has also reminded the school heads and teachers that the ban placed on graduation ceremonies in public schools by the Abia State government is still in force.
The Education Secretary, who addressed the school heads at Ebem, the headquarters of Ohafia LGA, made it clear that Governor Alex Otti declared absolute free education in primary and junior secondary education in the state.
He therefore frowned at the report that some teachers in some schools in the area were still collecting levies from the pupils and warned that anyone caught in the act would be disciplined accordingly.
The Ohafia Education Secretary said that teachers and other education workers have been regularly receiving their salaries and other welfare packages promptly and should not be found engaging in illegal fee collection and unapproved ceremonies.
Okechukwu directed that all fees collected from the pupils be immediately refunded to them, even as he charged the teachers to be alive to their duties.
