CLO lauds Soludo for extending free education to SS3, urges church, others to emulate him
By Juliana Nwachukwu
Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), Anambra State branch, Monday, applauded Governor Charles Soludo for extending free education in the state to Senior Secondary Schools three in all public schools in the state.
Recall that last year when Gov.Soludo announced free education to JSS3, CLO appealed to him to extend such good benevolent gesture to Senior Secondary and Mission Schools.
According to the CLO state chairman, Evangelist Vincent Ezekwueme, "This good gesture will help tremendously in education of our children, reduces financial burdens on parents at this economic meltdown, reduces out of school children and rekindles people's hope, trust and confidence in government.
A press statement issued in Onitsha by Ezekwueme and his secretary, Chidi Mbah, alongside treasurer Hyginus Udensi, emphasized the importance of affordable education. Titled 'Education is a Better Safeguard for Liberties than a Standing Army,' the release urged religious leaders and private school owners to follow Governor Soludo's humanitarian lead by significantly reducing exorbitant school fees.
"They should reciprocate government and citizens great investment in those schools and make them accessible,affordable and reliable," the statement read.
It stressed the need for the state government to regulate the functions of the mission and private schools with a view to curtailing the school fees paid by the pupils and students.
"It is highly despicable and detestable that government pays salaries and allowances including pensions and gratuities of teachers in mission schools yet allows them to be extorting and exploiting parents and students.
"It is unbelievable that one of the Mission Schools in Onitsha collected above #300,000 from students who graduated from JSS3 in the same school to enrol into SSS1 last year without any government intervention or sanction .
"The same school this year has skyrocked the fees to little above #400,000 whereas new students pay nearly #500,000.'it is of prime importance to note that if urgent and immediate steps are not taken to remedy the pathetic situation, laudable aim of handing over schools to missions will be defeated," the statement read.
Recall that CLO had last year drew the attention of the governor and government of Anambra State to the complaints, lamentations and predicaments with regards to outrageous and inhuman school fees in Mission Schools.
"We appeal to Soludo to dispatch his Commissioner for Education with immediacy and urgency it deserved, to visit all mission schools in the state for on the spot assessment and fact finding mission.
" CLO, Anambrarians and residents remain eternally grateful to you for four greatest democratic dividends you bequeathed to Anambrarians, citizens and residents, free medical care for pregnant women, free education up to SSS3, an end to provisions of handwork and unauthorized levies in all public schools and promise to start payment of new minimum wage from October.
"We reiterate our earlier appeal to Governor Soludo to establish primary and secondary schools along Mba Farm,3-3, Nsugbe, Nkwelle axis to help tackle permanently, problem of out of school children as parents of those children cannot afford exorbitant fee in private schools because there is no government school in the said axis except Oyolu Primary School and Nkwelle Community High School, which are inadequate in such highly populated areas," CLO stated.
* Nwachukwu is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State
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