Warns Against Illegal Graduation Levies
By Ephraim Emmanuel
The Rivers State Ministry of Education has directed all public, private primary and secondary schools to close for the 2025/2026 academic session on Friday, July 17.
The Commissioner for Education, Dr. Peters Nwagor, gave the order while monitoring the ongoing NECO Senior School Certificate Examination in selected schools across the state.
Dr. Nwagor expressed satisfaction with the peaceful conduct of the examination and repeated the state’s zero tolerance for examination malpractice.
“It’s very necessary that we carry out examination monitoring so that we have first hand information on the conduct of exams in Rivers state in order to maintain our zero tolerance for examination malpractice.
That is why from the outset, the governor of Rivers state,SIMINALAYI FUBARA has provided everything that would make the exam conduct very conducive.
The Commissioner for Education also warned private schools against organising end-of-session graduation parties or ceremonies used to impose illegal levies on parents, stressing that defaulters would be sanctioned.
“All principals are called upon to ensure students do not engage in any form of or conduct that does not constitute public nuisance after completing their final examination. The Ministry of Education is warning all private school operators in the state to desist from organising unnecessary end of session or end of graduation parties through which they extort monies from parents. They have been outcry from different quarters in this regard. There will be sanctions for all those who violate these instructions,” the Commissioner warned.
Dr. Nwagor further directed all transferred and retired teachers still occupying government teachers’ quarters in public schools to vacate the facilities immediately to allow allocation to serving officers.
“Let me also emphasize for record purposes, all teachers that are residing in government quarters that have been posted to other schools should please vacate such quarters to allow others to occupy. If by September we find out that teachers do not comply with the directive such teachers would be disciplined,” he added
ExceedFM correspondent reports that schools visited during the examination monitoring exercise include Community Secondary School, Rumuodumaya; Community Secondary School, Rukpokwu; and Community Secondary School, Okoro-nu-Odo.
