Meme Principals warned to hands-off PTA funds

By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba

The Meme Divisional Delegate for Secondary Education, Akwo John Eyoh has warned Principals to keep their hands off PTA funds in their respective institutions. He gave the warning recently during the first Meme Secondary Education Sectoral Conference for the 2016/2017 academic year, at the Government Technical High School, GTHS Kumba.

                Presided over by the Second Assistant Senior Divisional Officer for Meme, Yongkuma Nelson Gamsi, the meeting brought together principals of both government and private schools, to inform them on the instructions of the Minister of Secondary Education relating to guidelines on the functioning of schools during the academic year.

                Akwo John during the meeting exhorted parents and principals to abide by the circular of the Minister which sets the modalities on how PTA funds should be managed. He noted that “the PTA is a free association of parents; it is the parents who should decide on what they to do for the school upon the advice of the school authorities who know the priority needs of their schools. But it is the PTA that manages the funds and decides how much should be made available through their general assembly meeting”.

                “When parents and school heads respect this guidelines and functions accordingly there will be no conflicts between thetwo authorities,” said the Minesec delegate.

                Meanwhile the delegate noted that Principals of most colleges in Meme Division have respected the number of students per class as stipulated by the Minister.

                Though he noted that much was achieved during the 2015/2016 academic year as far as pedagogy and results of final year examinations are concerned, Akwo John at once called on principals and teachers not to rest on their laurels.

                He seized the occasion to highlight some of the problems faced by the delegation including notably the lack of an adequate structure to harbor the Divisional Delegation, the absence of a service vehicle to facilitate movement, insufficient running credits, insubordination by some school heads, the proliferation of clandestine schools, indiscipline and violence in schools, the absence of libraries and computer centers in some schools etc.

                The delegate nevertheless cautioned the Principals to institute tight security measures in their campuses in order to keep their students safe from terror activities.