Anambra Commissioner Vows Clampdown on ‘Extortionists terrorizing Private Schools in Anambra

By Praise Chinecherem

Anambra ommissioner of Education, Prof Ngozi Chuma-Udeh has declared war on unscrupulous persons masquerading as government staff to extort money from private schools in the state.

The Commissioner made the declaration during a stakeholders engagement meeting on National Education quality Assurance Policy (NEQAP) and Implementation guidelines held at the Ministry of Education Boardroom Jerome Udorji Secretariat, Awka.

She disclosed that the Soludo administration would not allow anyone or organization terrorizing private schools in the state.

Underscoring the importance of quality assurance Policy in the education sectors, Chuma-Udeh urged the officers to understand that there is delineation of duties as well as working terrain of the state they discharge their duties as federal staff in order to avoid clash of power.

“We have quality assurance policy bodies instituted in the Ministry of Education and Education agencies. As a federal staff, you must ensure your work aligns with the structure the state government has on ground guiding the education industry.

“You are expected to follow laid down procedure entrenched in the state education guideline.

“If you feel the structure put in place is not malleable, this is also open for discussion but the state wants to ensure that whoever is coming into the schools is legitimate.

“If we become porous, how can we checkmate the excesses of rascals camouflaging as government staff, how do we differentiate between right or wrong ones,” she questioned.

Director of the National Education Quality Assurance Policy, (NEQAP), Awka Office, Mrs Regina Ifezuruike while acknowledging the goodwill the office has enjoyed from public schools and her office readiness to follow due procedure, expressed the expectation that the NEQAP office will receive such collaboration from the private and mission schools.

She highlighted that NEQAP office was instituted to ensure that the Federal Ministry of Education and State Ministries of Education are working in uniformity as it regards education policies and Implementation.

She said that the meeting became imperative as most people at the helms of affairs especially the private and mission schools are ignorant of what office is out to accomplish with most lagging behind on current and right standard in the nation educational space.

While debunking the notion circulating in the corridors of most private and mission that the office is out to fleece money from them,Mrs Ifezuruike restated that Quality Assurance is a process of monitoring and evaluating what goes on in schools according to stipulated guidelines geared towards bringing an improvement in teaching and learning.

In her remarks the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education,Dr Ifeoma Agbaizu listed funding, wrong conception of what quality assurance is all about and insecurity as some of the challenges negating effective quality assurance drive.

Dame chinyere Mbakwe, ASUBEB Board Member representing Private Schools called for the inclusion of private schools in the distribution of federal educational largesse to state school,as they are also part of the system

Giving the vote of thanks,the Dame Eunice Mesigo a member of the Anambra state Education Commission appreciated Mr Governor,Professor Soludo for the transformation he has brought to the state and the education sector

“Tell Mr Governor, heavens had marked kudos for him and Ndi Anambra are very much alive to what he is doing,” she enthused.

The highlight of the meeting was the distribution of copies of the National Education Quality Assurance Policy and Implementation Guidelines booklets to the Commissioner and educational stakeholders in Anambra State.