Cross River Lawmakers mediates on NAPPS crisis to avert non-registration of Indigenous students from free WAEC registration
By: Edem Archibong, Calabar.
The Cross River State House of Assembly Committee on Education led by Hon. Martins Achadu has kicked against the current fracas that have put the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) in the state at the point of fractions and factions is not good for both the students and the State.
These comments were made during the stakeholders meeting between the law Makers Committee on Education and the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools owners in the state Assembly auditorium to ensure that the bone of contention in the Association is brought under control to ensure that registration of students is perfectly carried out without omission of Indigenous students to benefits from the state government benevolence.
The lawmakers’s concern is that the quarrel of the Association, which has resulted in asking the State Ministry Of Education to recognize one faction of the Association against another, will make some students of state origins registered while others may not.
For these reasons, the lawmakers decided to ask the state Ministry Of Education to ensure that they allow all Proprietors of Private Schools in the state to forge ahead with WAEC Registration of Students without obtaining any clearance from any NAPPS factions.
They further explain that more stakeholder meetings will be convened within the next two weeks in an attempt to nib the problem in mud.
The Assembly Committee also directed the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry to liaise with his Ministry and ensure that any Private Schools coming to register for WAEC, should allow them to do the registration until the problem of NAPPS is resolved.
Also Speaking is a member of the House of Assembly representing Ikom 1 State Constituency and a member of the Education Committee in the House, Hon.Samuel Neji-Abang, who called for calm and asked the NAPPS factions to sheath their swords, waiting for the committee’s final report on the matter.
In his remarks, the factional President of NAPPS, Sir Godwin Okwu, blamed the immediate past Exco of the Association for his failure to be accountable to the association and operated as if he operated his private estate where he couldn’t give an account to anyone.
He also requested the State Ministry Of Education not to any of the factions of NAPPS to collect levies from School Proprietors and on behalf of the state government during the process of registration of students for 2025 WAEC,
Responding to the allegations of wrongdoing and not being accountable for Nine years of leadership of the association, Pastor Abraham Osok, who reacted through a telephone conversation, claimed that he has chosen to reserve his comments on certain issues but that he remains in charge as NAPPS President in the state.
