The Abia government has warned principals and head teachers of public schools secretly collecting unauthorised school fees and levies to desist from such practices or risk sanctions.

Information commissioner Okey Kanu announced this while briefing journalists at the Government House, Umuahia, on the outcome of Monday’s State Executive Council meeting.

Mr Kanu described the act as a serious violation of the government’s free and compulsory education policy for public primary and junior secondary schools in the state.

He said the government had introduced a policy to provide funds for school operations, making such unauthorised practices unjustifiable.

He said, “The state government will no longer tolerate this dishonest behaviour. Offenders will face the full consequences of the law, including the possibility of dismissal.”

The commissioner also said the final stage of the teachers’ recruitment, which involved certificate verification and oral interviews, took place from March 31 to April 4.

He said approximately 7,000 applicants who scored 45 per cent and above, including 180 persons with disabilities, were shortlisted.

Mr Kanu also said that candidates who scored between 40 and 44 per cent were placed on a reserve list to fill any potential vacancies caused by absenteeism or disqualification.

He said the initiative would also allow the education ministry to create a database of qualified teachers to meet future staffing needs as enrollment increases under the free education initiative.

He said the government had approved a second phase of the recruitment for those who missed the first round.

The commissioner also said that the government had partnered with the Education Reformation and Innovation Team to train 2,200 teachers across the state.

He said the large-scale training, aimed at enhancing teaching quality and improving learning outcomes in public schools, would be conducted from April 10 to 19.

According to him, the training would be held across three centres, including Aba (Abia South), Umuahia (Abia Central), and Ohafia (Abia North).

Also, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Goodluck Ubochi, further explained that the government’s free education initiative does not include Senior Secondary School students.

“The students in state-owned SSS would be charged a minimal fee of N3,300 for tuition,” Ubochi said.

He further said that the government’s recruitment plan aimed to address the growing demand for teachers due to the rise in school enrollment driven by the free and compulsory education policy.

He said, “What the government is trying to do is to explore every possibility to address the shortage of teachers in our schools.”

He disclosed that the upcoming recruitment would focus on technical and vocational subjects, where the shortage of qualified teachers was most severe.