‘Collect Illegal Fees? Lose Your Job’ — Abia Govt Warns Principals

The Abia State Government has issued a stern warning to principals and heads of public schools in the state, threatening to dismiss anyone found sabotaging its free education policy through illegal collection of fees and levies.

The warning was handed down by the State Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, while briefing journalists on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council meeting held in Umuahia.

Prince Kanu reaffirmed the government’s commitment to providing free education from primary school to Junior Secondary School 3 (JSS3) across all public schools in the state. He noted that students in Senior Secondary School 1 to 3 (SS1-SS3) are only required to pay a subsidized tuition fee of N3,300.

He warned that any principal or head teacher caught extorting money from students or parents under any guise would face severe sanctions, including outright dismissal from service.

“Education is free from primary to Junior Secondary 3 in Abia State public schools. No principal or head of school is permitted to collect any illegal fees or levies. Anyone caught doing so will face the full wrath of the law,” the Commissioner warned.

In another development, Prince Kanu disclosed that the state government is set to unveil a new economic and business policy framework aimed at promoting Made-in-Abia products and encouraging local entrepreneurship.

He explained that the policy is part of Governor Alex Otti’s broader economic strategy to stimulate local production, create jobs, and grow the state’s economy.