Former Special Adviser on Education, Castro Ezama, has paid the school fees of Alice Williams, a Junior Secondary School Three (JSS3) student of Government Secondary School, Akim Quo Town, Calabar, after meeting her on Marian Road, where she was heading home after being sent away from school over unpaid fees.
Ezama, who disclosed this in a statement following the encounter, said he decided to follow Alice to her home, where he met her father, Mr. Okon Williams Friday, a transport officer with Calabar South Local Government Area, who is battling prostate cancer.
According to him, the family has been facing severe financial difficulties, with the father's medical condition and treatment expenses reportedly making it difficult for him to meet the family's educational and other basic needs.
Ezama said the financial strain had become so overwhelming that Williams could no longer sustain the medical bills at the Navy Reference Hospital.
Moved by the family's circumstances, the former education adviser said he had taken over the responsibility of paying Alice's school fees, beginning with her JSS3 fees, and had also placed her on a scholarship covering the remainder of her secondary education.
He expressed concern over the practice of sending students home over unpaid school fees, particularly in public schools, arguing that the situation could further disadvantage children from financially struggling families.
"Public schools should ideally be free, especially from Primary One to JSS3. I am against chasing schoolchildren home for not paying school fees. I beseech our school administrators to look genuinely into this. Life is really tough for a lot of families," he said.
Ezama further disclosed that two of Mr. Williams' children had been unable to continue their education, having reportedly sacrificed their opportunities to support their sister, Joy, who is a 300-level student of Genetics and Biotechnology at the University of Calabar (UNICAL).
He described Joy as a brilliant student with a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of at least 3.50, expressing hope that the family would receive the support needed to enable all the children to pursue their educational ambitions.
The former Special Adviser on Education also appealed to the Cross River State Ministry of Education to urgently address the circumstances leading to students being sent out of classrooms over unpaid fees.
He urged the ministry, under the supervision of the state education authorities, to explore measures that would allow children from disadvantaged backgrounds to remain in school and continue their education.
Ezama, however, commended Governor Bassey Otu for the payment of West African Examinations Council (WAEC) fees for Senior Secondary School Three (SS3) students across the state, describing the intervention as a welcome relief for parents and guardians struggling to meet educational expenses.
He also expressed appreciation to Mr. Patrick Ali for providing financial assistance towards the medical needs of Williams.
Ezama said the visit to the Williams family was particularly meaningful because it formed part of his birthday celebration, adding that he was grateful for the opportunity to support a family facing difficult circumstances.
The former aide, who writes from Atekong Drive, Calabar, said the experience reinforced the need for compassion, community support and practical interventions to ensure that financial hardship does not deny children access to education.
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