By Okey Alozie
What is suspected to be Administrable War is said to have started in Imo Secondary Education Management Board (SEMB) located along Owerri Portharcourt road Imo State.
The war is between the top Management Officials of the Board as we gathered from a reliable source.
Information revealed that complains of extortion, tempering of staff files, birth and first school leaving certificates including high handedness, intimidation and harassment by those who claim to be more superior than others have gotten to alarming rate. Against this backdrop Ministry of Education raised eyesbrow and queried SEMB Boss and others.
Top officials were queried, especially on the payment of N3,000 by each Principal in Imo State for the collection of promotion letters.
The Ministry of Education also demanded for the explanation on missing birth certificates and other vital documents from files of the Principals and Teachers, coupled with the alleged collection of money (N10,000) for the replacement of missing birth certificates and first school leaving certificates.
The query as we gathered brought crisis. The management staff were said to have resolved to pointing accusing fingers on each other for misbehavour. Right now the crisis is said to have escalated into war at the SEMB office.
We further gathered that petitions have been written on these issues mentioned above, even as the State House of Assembly got series of report on the administrative lapses, including extortion of money, hike in WAEC and NECO registration fees and other irregularities taken place at SEMB.
At different fora as we were told, the alleged extortion of money from students by School Principals and Teachers has been a matter of serious concern.
While the concerned citizens of Imo State are calling on the Governor of Imo State Senator Hope Uzodinma to intervene as a matter of urgency to sanitize Imo Secondary Education Management Board, Experts in Education want the Governor to call a spade a spade by conducting a fresh screening on the top officials of SEMB to fish out those causing confusion in the system.
It would also be recalled that aggrieved Teachers of public secondary schools, recently cried out over the punitive and irrational transfer going on in the system. Report has it that some schools have more than enough Teachers while many do not have teachers teaching key subjects.
The Zonal Directors who are incharge of the transfer of Teachers, we gathered from our source are using their positions to favour Principals of schools that are related to them.
It has been observed that Mathematics and English teachers are not many in Public Schools in the State. Therefore it is very necessary for a proper rationalization of teachers to take place in Imo State School system.
