A major education scandal has erupted in Grand Kru County following the suspension of the Acting Principal of Barclayville Central High School.
The suspension of Johnny Toe stemmed from report that he “forced each of the 12th graders to pay L$5,000 as fees for the upcoming West African Senior School Certificate Exams (WASSCE). One account said, Toe imposed the “unauthorized fees on each of the vulnerable graduating students forgetting to know that the Unity Part-led government had earlier paid all WASSCE fees to the Monrovia Office of the West African Examination Council.”
Toe’s suspension follows an investigation the County Education Officer (CEO) Josiah Sloh Negba ordered after complaints surfaced that Toe had “demanded L$5,000 from each 12th-grade student under the guise of a “project fee.”
Education officials say the charge was not part of the approved fee structure, and had no authorization from the Ministry of Education (MoE).
To this, concerns were about illegal financial demands placed on the already struggling families.
For many parents, the amount represents a heavy burden in a region where households are already grappling with transportation costs, school materials, uniforms and examination-related expenses.
“This money, many parents struggle to raise. You cannot continue putting pressure on children, who are only trying to graduate,” one parent raised uneasiness.
In the preliminary findings, the fee collection was allegedly carried out without consultation with teachers, school administrators, or the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA).
A five-member investigative committee that comprised three District Education Officers (DEOs), a PTA representative, and the county Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, concluded that Toe acted on “his own.” The committee’s findings recommended the full refund of the L$5,000 collected from current 12th-grade students, and the immediate suspension of Toe from his position pending further investigation. The investigation has since uncovered a “potentially broader pattern” in Toe’s path. Officials say the committee also found evidence suggesting that L$5,500 was collected from last year’s graduating class, raising fresh concerns that students may have been subjected to “unauthorized financial demands over more than one academic year.”
When contacted for comment, Toe said: “I preferred to reserve comments while investigation is ongoing.”