ALLEGED DISOBEDIENCE: IMO SEC. SCHOOL PRINCIPALS UNDER FIRE, RISK DEMOTION, SUSPENSION -

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ALLEGED DISOBEDIENCE: IMO SEC. SCHOOL PRINCIPALS UNDER FIRE, RISK DEMOTION, SUSPENSION

– G.T.C OWERRI WORST HIT

By Okey Alozie

Ahead of 3rd term internal Exams, some principals of Secondary Schools in Imo State have started misbehaving as well as disobeying the directives of Secondary Education Management Board (SEMB) and ministry of primary and post primary school.

It was alleged that Principals of Government Technical College (G.T.C.) Owerri refused to obey the directives of Mrs Theresa Okwu, the Executive Secretary of Secondary Education Management (SEMB) and Prof. B.T.O Ikegwuoha, Commissioner for Education (Primary and Secondary).

Report has it that Mrs Erastus Florence who serves as Principal in charge of Junior Secondary School G.T.C. and Barr. Benedict Ukachi in charge of Senior Secondary School refused to honour the posting done by SEMB, and since two (2) months now, they were posted out of G.T.C. Owerri to a new school, both of them refused to go. The new Principals that came to take over got disappointed on the ill treatments melted on them.

Their refused to go on transfer to another school is now generating crisis and confusion.

The Principal from Imo Girls Secondary School Owerri who was posted to G.T.C Owerri to take over from Mrs Erastus is now stranded.

We also gathered that the action of Mrs Erastus Florence for allegedly refusing to handover to the new Principal has sparked controversy in the education sector as many experts want her to be punished for disobeying established authority.

Today Mrs Amefule who was posted to Imo Girls Secondary School Owerri is also stranded as Mrs Lora Amakaihe could not handover to her, on the ground that she is yet to get a school. Moreover, the principal of G.T.C were she was posted to take over, refused to give her acceptance letter, Mrs Amefule apart from being stranded is also roaming about as she is now being treated as visitor in the school (Imo Girls) that she was officially posted to assume duty as a new principal.

This alleged disobedience by school principals have brought duplication of powers and has disorganized the secondary school system in Imo State.

Complains have now flooded Imo Government House on this matter, as experts want governor to intervene as a matter of urgency to correct the abnormality that is going on in the Education sector now.

Some revealed that Mrs Erastus Florence and Barr. Benedict of G.T.C Owerri, refused to obey the transfer order given to them because they allegedly claimed that they are SEMB staff and they are not under Ministry of Education Primary, Secondary headed by Prof. B.T.O Ikegwuoha.

It is on record that G.T.C Owerri is a government owned school established as a Secondary school education.

Since it was established many years ago, the curriculum, the subject and assessment method are all of Secondary Education.

For instance, the students write WAEC, SSCE, NABTEB and other O’level Exams and their Junior students takes Basic Certificate of Education known as BECE and this means that G.T.C Owerri is a Secondary School, as argued by experts. Moreover, the Teachers there were posted by SEMB and Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. The heads of the schools were employed and posted by SEMB.

In other words, they are staff of SEMB. These Principals who have refused to go on transfer were all posted and recruited by SEMB. Therefore, they cannot refuse or immune any transfer from SEMB.

They were promoted by SEMB, therefore SEMB can transfer them to any school. Anybody in G.T.C refusing to go on transfer under any guise according to experts, is taking risk by playing with his or her work. By its standard of corporation, G.T.C is a secondary school. Even the immediate passed Executive Secretary passed through Okporo Secondary Technical School as Principal before she was made Executive Secretary of SEMB.

If she did not come from that secondary school, how will she be made Executive Secretary, expert asked?

Moreover, it is SEMB that pays salary of Principals and Teachers and keeps their files. So Imo Government should play its role as the owner of these two schools, and stop this brouhaha without delay.