EXCITING NEWS: TNG WhatsApp Channel is LIVE…
Subscribe for FREE to get LIVE NEWS UPDATE. Click here to subscribe!
Wevole Ezin, Calabar
The Cross River State Commissioner for Education, Senator Stephen Odey haas debunked rumours going round that his ministry padded list of names of students the state government was going to pay 2024 WAEC registration.
Odey debunked this yesterday while addressing newsmen in his office in Calabar.
He said it was unfortunate that mischiefs were going around peddling false rumours just to be in the governor’s good book
According to him, that from the 298 secondary schools in the state, 16, 301 names were sent to the ministry but after shortlisting, 64 non indigenes were found in the lists and were removed immediately.
He said some schools that submitted late were not registered, giving a total of 16,237 indigent students that were registered under the state government to sit for the coming West Africa Examination Council (WAEC).
“Let me use this opportunity to debunk in totality that no list was padded. The WAEC list was never padded and it can never happen under my watch. For those of you who know my anticidents, it can never because i was sent to this place with trust and I know that the Governor trust me and will never betray that trust and of cause no director under me can attempt it.
” I was shocked when a friend called me and said that the Chief of Staff and I padded the list up to 180m , i think it was the greatest shock of my life. I think that is what we paid for, leadership and sacrifice. I had to take it because I’m aware that we have a lot of mischief makers around , going round peddling false rumours to look good before the governor but they will never see it here.
“I have been a member of the Senate committee on education, I have been a SUBEB Chairman, I’m a Lecturer, not just but a senior Lecturer with about sixty something publications, i don’t think i will come here and rubish my integrity.” The Commissioner expressed displeasure.
On promotion and employment, Odey said as a commissioner, he has been written to the governor, Senator Bassey Otu to approve the employment of 6,000 teachers for a start an also to implement promotion of those on grand as a way of motivation.
The Commissioner further stated, “Since I came onboard, I have been writing letters to the governor to implement promotion of teachers because that is another way of motivating people. We are paying so much, about four hundred and forty something to register WAEC and we cannot achieve positive results if they don’t teach the students. I want Cross River State to be rated high and you cannot give what you don’t have.
“And that is why we say, due to the lean resources of the state, we have to do it in phases, the government should grant us approval to employ 6,000 teachers in the first phase and as the finances of the state improve, we can do more. We are still waiting for that memo to be released.”
The Commissioner added, “We are going to go after illegal schools going on in Cross Rive State, it cannot be business as usual. Once the Easter holiday is over, we are going after them and we are going to close them down, they will have to come here and do the proper thing.”
##