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Tension is brewing at the Federal Government College, Ohafia, Abia State, as parents of the students of the College have sent a Save Our Soul (SOS) message to the Minister for Education, Alhaji Adamu Adamu over the decision of the school authorities to collect 20 litres of paint, 2 reams of A4 paper from the students.
Some of the angry parents alleged that the principal of the school, Mrs. P.O. Ogunmbemi directed that each student who returned for the first term must come to school with a 20 litre bucket of sky-blue paint and 2 reams of A4 paper, before being granted entry.
They lamented that the Mrs Ogunmbemi also directed the students to pay N1, 000 for ‘workmanship’ money to be paid to labourers who will use the paint to work while those who can’t bring the 20 litres of paint must pay N6, 000.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that there are about 2,000 students at the Federal Government College, Ohafia.It was gathered that over 500 students of the College have bought their 20 litres of paint and 2 reams of paper each while about 200 paid N6,000 for their inability to buy the paint.
The parents also alleged that the Principal did not consult the Parents Teachers Association of the College before asking the students to buy paints and paper.
They wondered what the principal would be doing with over 2,000 buckets of 20 litres of paint that were collected from the students.
According to them, “The Principal did not only task the students to bring a 20 litre bucket of paint each, but she also asked the returning students to pay N1, 000 she termed ‘workmanship money’. Any student, who returns to school without the 20 litres of paint, is asked to pay N6, 000. Such students have been denied access into the school premises until he or she pays.
“The fact remains that we do not know what the woman is going to do with over 2,000 buckets of 20 litres of paint the exercise is expected to fetch the school.”
They said the collection of the 20 litres of paint excludes the PTA levy which is paid with several household and office items under the guise of school requirements.
“Every term, we buy all sorts of household and office items, they call it “school requirements” including the reams of A4 paper by each student, and now they came up with the 20 litres of paint or N6,000.”
The parents urged the Minister for Education to call Mrs. Ogunmbemi to order to save them from further exploitation by the school authorities.
When contacted, the Principal of the Federal Government College, Ohafia, Mrs P.O. Ogunmbemi, said she was away on official assignment in Abuja and pleaded for more days to react to the allegation.
Her appeal for a few days to respond to the allegations was granted.But several attempts to get her to keep to her promise were not successful as she declined to respond to calls and text messages.
However, the Chairman, Parents Teachers Association of the College, Mr. Henry Eke, stated that only the SS2 students were asked to bring 20 litres of paint each because they defaced the walls of the classrooms.
He also confirmed that the PTA of the College was part of the decision to collect the 20 litres of paint from the students, but were invited when the decision was being taken.
“The whole wall of the entire block was defaced in and out, writing useless names and drawing lots of silly things on the wall. Ordinarily, the people we use to be afraid of writing such things are the outgoing students, the SS3. But this one was done by the SS2 students who are coming back. It wasn’t the decision of the PTA, but they invited the PTA when they were taking the decision.”