What appears to be an administrative war has erupted within the Imo Secondary Education Management Board (SEMB) located along Owerri Port Harcourt road, Imo State. The conflict involves top management officials of the board, according to reliable sources.
Complaints of extortion, tampering with staff files, birth and school leaving certificates, as well as allegations of high-handedness, intimidation, and harassment by certain individuals claiming superiority, have reached an alarming rate. In response, the Ministry of Education raised concerns and queried the SEMB Boss and other top officials.
Top officials faced queries, particularly regarding the payment of N3,000 by each principal in Imo State for the collection of promotion letters. The Ministry of Education also sought explanations for missing birth certificates and other vital documents from files of principals and teachers, alongside the alleged collection of money (N10,000) for the replacement of missing certificates.
The queries reportedly led to a crisis, with management staff pointing fingers at each other for misbehavior, escalating into a war at the SEMB office.
Petitions on the aforementioned issues have been submitted, and the State House of Assembly has received reports on administrative lapses, extortion, increased WAEC and NECO registration fees, and other irregularities at SEMB.
Concerned citizens of Imo State are urging Governor Hope Uzodinma to urgently intervene and sanitize SEMB. Education experts suggest that the governor conduct a fresh screening of top officials to identify those causing confusion in the system.
Recently, aggrieved teachers of public secondary schools decried punitive and irrational transfers in the system. Some schools reportedly have an excess of teachers, while others lack teachers for key subjects. Zonal directors overseeing teacher transfers are alleged to favor schools related to them.
Given the shortage of Mathematics and English teachers in public schools in the state, calls for a proper rationalization of teachers in the Imo State school system have become imperative.