Principals, headmasters, and teachers in public schools have been punished for extorting an array of extra charges from pupils in Cross River State

Commissioner for Quality Education in the state, Dr. Godwin Amanke, confirmed that six principals have been suspended and 12 others removed from office.

He also said that 16 teachers and principals were sent to rural areas because they charged students for things that didn’t seem right.

He told reporters in the state about what his ministry was doing and said that these charges were very scary.

According to him, the tuition fee in the state was zero, but “some Cross River teachers and principals conspired to alarmingly inflate the other charges, which are not acceptable at all.”

He said: “School tuition in the state is free.” So far, we have suspended six principals due to unusual and inflated charges levied against students.We have given several queries to others involved in illegal charges and dealings, including bribery and acceptance of bribes to be posted to township schools.

“We have also fired 12 teachers and sent 16 to work in rural areas as punishment for these wrongdoings.

“Some principals collect as hefty a sum as N40,000 from each student as opposed to N1,200.” They collected fees for three terms upfront, claiming that many students abandon their schools after taking WAEC exams.

“We are monitoring defaulting teachers and principals and won’t hesitate to wield the big stick.”

He said that cultism was a big problem in schools in the state, and he said that he had paid as much as N40,000 for education officials to move from school to school every day to check on and warn against these bad and dirty things.

He urged parents and guardians not to leave the task to the government alone.