By Akanimo Sampson
Concerned parents of the Federal Government College Nise, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State are up in arms against the Principal of the school for allegedly turning the federal government educational facility into a prison yard.
In a petition to the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, they are alleging maltreatment of their wards by the Principal, Mrs Ijeoma Ekumankama .
According to them, their children are in prison under Ekumankama, and are therefore calling for an urgent intervention by the minister.
Their petition was copied to the Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, Uche Ekwunife and others reads:
The petition however, reads”
We, the entire parents of Federal Government College, Nise, Anambra State, humbly wish to bring to your attention, the deplorable/unbearable living condition of our children in FGC Nise, Anambra State.
1. Our Children are presently living in an overcrowded hostels with maggot-infested overflowing toilets. The Principal, Mrs Ekumankama defiantly refused to improve these children’s living conditions despite all the resources channelled in by the PTA. She rather diverted the school’s funds for the building of her magnificent duplex of residence.
2. Our Children are malnourished due to very poor feeding in the school despite support with provisions by the parents, and these happen under Principal’s watch. Honourable Minister sir, what the school Management does is, if they are supposed to cook 3bags of rice for the students, they will rather prepare one and half bag. The food becomes too small for over 2000 students to share, so what the potters do is, they lock students who came to dining hall some minutes late, with this inhumane treatment meted on the children, they will cover for the short-fall. The remaining one and half bag of rice, will be shared between the Principal and potters.
3. The hostels and Dining of these children are worst than prison. They are so overcrowded with a population of about 2,200 students.
4. The Principal has monetised punishment. If a Student commits an offence, instead of serving punishment as a corrective measure, the Principal will ask the parents to pay money as punishment or the children would not write exams.
5. Indiscipline is on the rise. The reason is not far fetched, when students are not disciplined when they misbehave, rather their parents are asked to pay money.
6. Homosexuality and Lesbianism is on the increase. A Homo was caught, instead of the Principal to punish the Homo, she deboarded the students that caught him.
7. The principal extorts money from students and parents with reckless abandon. She has asked a particular set of SS3 students to pay for school magazine twice, all because she wanted more money.
All SS3 Students were asked to pay N5,000 each for plastic chairs to be used for WAEC Exams, these chairs were never given back to the students instead the Principal took them.
Beyond this, she asks parents to bring different types of materials ranging from bulbs, biros, white board markers, tissues, detergent, brooms, cobweb sticks etc. These items are brought every term. She claims money does not come from the Ministry to make any of these provisions in the school, but after all these requirements are collected from parents, she loads them in a truck to resell in the open market. This is what she has been doing for years now.
8. The student/ teacher ratio in FGC NISE is about 1:100. This is totally against the Federal Government stipulated policy of a maximum of 1:40. This is due to fraudulent admission process by the Principal where admission is given in exchange for money, hence stretching the school’s limited resources. Infact some subjects do not have teachers. This has lead to a very poor academic performance of the students in both internal and external examinations.
9. The clinic where the children are taken to when they are sick, lacks basic life saving equipment. Children with diarrhea and vomiting were given Sprite mixed with salt, under the Principal’s watch.
10. Honourable Minister sir, Mrs Ekumanakama (The Principal) is in level 15, while there are those who are her senior in level16 in the school but are Vice Principals. She bribed her way to become the Principal just to come mess the welfare of our children.Honourable Minister, the above burning issues and the threat of the Principal on Parents, bragging of her ‘High connections’ to government officials, necessitated our resolve to cry out to your honourable office for urgent attention. You are our only hope of remedying our Children’s plight.
Thank you as we anticipate your urgent response.
CC:Senate Committee Chairman, EducationHouse Committee Chairman, Education.Senator (Mrs) Uche Ekwunife, Representing Anambra Central Senatorial district
Concerned Parents, FGC Nise, Anambra State
