Crisis Rocks Federal Government College Enugu As Parents, PTA Exco Bicker Over Financial Impropriety

Posted by Ignatius Okpara Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Friday, March 12th, 2021

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Serious crisis has engulfed the Federal Government College, (FGC) Enugu, as parents and the leadership of it’s Parents Teachers Association, PTA, executive are now at each other’s throat over alleged financial irregularities in the school.

The parents are complaining of some excessive fee by the PTA leadership as well as having some money paid to an account which is not a Federal Government remitta account.

Speaking on behalf of the concerned parents during their meeting in Enugu yesterday, Mr Chris Agu, accused the leadership of the PTA of unilaterally laying off all PTA-teachers in the school that the parents pay N5,000 for each term to keep their services.

Agu argued that that the sacked PTA teachers had been with the schools for close to 10 to 14 years.

He said: “They were sacked after serving between 10 and 14 years during the end of the first wave of COVID-19 and no parent was informed, or they reverted to the old PTA fee of N1,000 per term as we longer have any PTA-teachers.

“Again, the sacked PTA-teachers were owed three months salary and were not paid the three months salaries as at the time of disengaging them.

The PTA executive also collected a whooping sum of N65,000 from parents of fresh students (JSS-1), without paying to the Federal Government remitta account and it duly receipted.

“They claim it was meant to get some basic provisions for the fresh students: which include: mattress, school uniforms, school lockers, table and desk, torch light and other miscellaneous.

“From all market standards, the items were below N65,000.

“Even till today, some students are not sleeping on the mattresses to be provided after the payment but some sleep on the floor or share a mattress with other fellow students,

In his response to some of the allegations levelled against his Exco, the PTA Chairman of the school, Barrister Chima Nwodo, said that the accusatiibs were not true; adding that the PTA-teachers are part time teachers, engaged at the recommendation of the principal.

He explained that it was at the recommendation of the Principal of the school, Alhaji Raji Adewale, after he received 32 teachers from the ministry of Education that he stopped PTA-teachers who are having duplicating functions with the ministry’s permanent teachers.

Nwodo also told newsmen that the disengaged teachers were carried out on the recommendation of the principal, Raji Adewale.

“The staff of the PTA are being employed at the recommendation of the principal. If the principal says he doesn’t need them, what do you do? These were part time workers. By their contracts, they are part time.

Because of the lockdown, we could not generate funds. We don’t have budget except revenue from students. Because of the COVID-19, we could not have money to pay them.

“Where do you get the money to pay them? Some sacked their workers because of COVID-19. Ministry sent some teachers from Abuja. The principal said let’s disengage them but 90% have been recalled.

He further explained that the N65,000 being paid into the PTA account was a fall-out of an agreement at the last meeting had by principals of unity schools/colleges in Kano.

According to him, the PTA is just the custodian of the money to checkmate the principals and school managements and ensure value for money for the parent.

He said that both the PTA executive and school management did a joint market survey to arrive at the N65,000.

“The whole idea by the principals at the Kano meeting was to have uniformity and the right colour or texture of uniforms both for day and boarding for students as well as uniformed class lockers, table and desk, mattress sizes etc.

“We have provided all these materials for the fresh student and nobody, I repeat no student, is sleep on the bare floor as was alleged.

He added: “The market survey we did was never on the high side and any other person can verify the cost of these materials in the market today,’’ he said.

The new principal Adewale waved the journalists away with a wave of hand saying, “how were the PTA teachers employed. What was the method of their employment?”