Ondo State Government has banned cash payments in public schools as part of measures to curb extortion and illegal levies imposed on pupils and students by authorities.
Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, said this at a meeting with the executives of Association of Bursars of Secondary Schools, in Akure.
Ajibefun, who frowned at the illegal and unauthorised collection of fees by some school authorities, noted that the government had introduced a ‘digital payment gateway’ for financial transactions in schools.
‘We have put heads together to come up with a payment gateway. From now on, every payment will have to pass through the gateway, and we have placed a ban on cash payments,’ he said.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Dr. Akindele Ige, urged school bursars to engage other stakeholders in ensuring they understood the new digital payment platform.
The Chairman of Association of Bursars of Secondary Schools, Fisayo Fapounda, described the initiative as a positive step in improving transparency in school financial management.