CROSS RIVER ASSEMBLY CAUTIONS PRIVATE SCHOOL PROPRIETORS OVER ONGOING CRISIS. (PHOTO).

 Cross River Assembly Cautions Private School Proprietors Over Ongoing Crisis

The Cross River State House of Assembly Committee on Education has warned private school proprietors in the state to resolve their differences or risk having all teachers, proprietors, and principals’ associations merged.

Chairman of the committee, Martins Achadu, issued the warning during a stakeholders’ meeting with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) on Tuesday.

The committee expressed concerns over the factional crisis within NAPPS, which has disrupted the association and affected educational interests in the state. Achadu emphasized that the committee’s priority is to ensure no child due for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) examination is deprived of the opportunity because of the association’s internal disputes.

To address the issue, the committee advised the Ministry of Education to bypass the association and directly register students for WAEC, eliminating the need for clearance from any NAPPS faction.

“The Permanent Secretary should liaise with the Ministry of Education to ensure that private schools can register for WAEC freely. Disregard the issue of NAPPS registration fees for now to avoid unnecessary disruptions,” Achadu said, adding that the committee would be taking decisive measures to resolve the crisis.

Factional NAPPS President, Sir Godwin Okwu, accused the previous executive of running the association without accountability and urged the Ministry of Education to collect levies directly from school proprietors during WAEC registration.

Another factional leader, Pastor Abraham Osok, maintained that he remains the legitimate president of NAPPS in the state but refrained from commenting further on the issues.