The Ogun State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) has sounded a strong warning to principals, vice principals, and teachers in public secondary schools across the state to desist from collecting unauthorised fees or levies from students, insisting that the government’s free education policy remains in full force.
TESCOM Chairman, Apostle Abiodun Sanyaolu, issued the warning while speaking on a television programme in Abeokuta, where he emphasised that any staff found demanding or collecting illegal payments would face strict disciplinary action.
According to Sanyaolu, Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration remains unwavering in its commitment to providing free and qualitative education, ensuring that every child in Ogun State has access to learning without financial barriers.
“The present administration has made it clear that no student in public primary or secondary school should be charged any kind of levy. Ogun State’s education reform agenda is built on free and qualitative learning opportunities for all,” he stated.
He cautioned that any act capable of undermining this policy would not be tolerated, noting that such practices contradict the government’s goal of promoting academic excellence and equal access to education.
Sanyaolu further encouraged educators and school staff to make use of TESCOM’s whistleblower platform to report unethical practices, assuring them of the Commission’s determination to maintain transparency, accountability, and discipline in the education sector.
Speaking on the implementation of the new national curriculum introduced by the Federal Government, the TESCOM boss revealed that the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, TESCOM, and other relevant agencies are working in synergy to ensure a smooth and uniform adoption across schools in the state.
He also highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen the teaching workforce, noting that the deployment of newly engaged Ogun TEACh interns would enhance classroom performance and ensure equitable teacher distribution across schools.
In a move to promote moral and cultural values, Sanyaolu disclosed that all public secondary schools have been directed to incorporate the Yoruba adage “Ise Lo’gun Ise” — meaning “Work is the antidote to poverty” — into their morning assemblies to instill in students the virtues of hard work, diligence, and perseverance.
Commending school administrators, Parents Teachers Associations (PTAs), and Old Students’ Associations for their continued cooperation, the TESCOM Chairman urged them to sustain their partnership with government towards building a disciplined, value-driven, and progressive education system.
With this renewed enforcement and moral reorientation drive, TESCOM is reinforcing Ogun State’s image as a model for transparent, equitable, and values-based education reform in Nigeria.