Kwara assembly bans public schools from collecting illegal fees

The Kwara House of Assembly on Wednesday banned public primary and secondary schools in the state from collecting unauthorised fees from pupils and students.
The house gave the directive after considering a report of the House Committee on Education and Human Capital Development on alleged collection of illegal fees.
The alleged fees, the assembly said were being collected by headmasters and principals in public primary and secondary schools in the state.
Reading the resolution of the house after rising from the committee, the Deputy Speaker, Chief Mathew Okedare, who presided over the plenary mandated the authorities of each school to refund the money collected.
The lawmakers directed headmasters and principals who collected above approved fees from students to refund the money before the end of the first term.
It directed the State Teaching Service Commission and the State Universal Basic Education Board to sanction the affected headmasters and principals and to communicate the sanction to the house immediately.
The house called on the teaching service commission and other stakeholders in the Education Sector to be alive to their responsibility at all times, especially monitoring and supervision of public schools.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the state Commissioner for Education, Hajia Bilikis Oniyangi, had suspended some principals over alleged collection of illegal fees from students.