By Okey Alozie
Secondary Education Management Board (SEMB) in Imo State has swung into serious action to sanitise the system and correct all the abnormalities.
The New SEMB Boss, Mrs Augustina Azubuike is said to have embarked on massive transfer of School Principals inline with the Governor’s directive.
It was learnt that Principals who have stayed long in Owerri Municipal council have been transferred to other Local Government Areas while those in the Rural Areas have been transferred to the city.
When contacted, the SEMB Boss, Mrs Augustina Azubuike disclosed that the mass transfer is to bring fairness, sanity and transparency to the system adding that the era of Principals paying money in order to stay long in the Urban Areas has gone. She maintained that under her watch as the Executive Secretary things have to change for good as the new face of SEMB according to her has come to stay. She advised all the transferred Principals and Teachers to obey the directive to avoid problem.
Augustina Azubuike further explained that when she assumed office as the SEMB Boss, she was asked to transfer all the Principals but she considered it necessary for the Principals to relax and enjoy their long vacation after which the mass transfer commenced.
According to her, it is always good for Principals to be transferred at the beginning of the Academic session.
The SEMB Boss made it clear that every Principal must accept the transfer letter and move to his or her new posts without delay.
On the issue of retirement, she submitted that many Principals were to have been retired since last year according to records, but they refused, but this time according to her their true age and first school leaving certificates have been investigated to ascertain the true position of things.
The SEMB Boss insisted that those Principals who are due for retirement must go.
It would be recalled that the State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma had raised eyesbrow on the issue of illegal extension of civil servants in Imo State.
Information revealed that good number of Teachers have retired but refused to go. Moreover, they went into forging and mutilation of certificates and documents in their files. The new SEMB Boss Augustina Azubuike and her team swung into action to discover this fraud.
Our roving reporter gathered that most of the Principals who falsified their age and certificates have been dictated and now serious trouble.
We also gathered that the State Government is likely going to take them to court.
