Some Principals of Government Secondary and High Schools in Donga Mantung Division, Northwest Region, have complained of “tribalism” and “corruption” in the recent transfer of heads of schools in the Division.

The undated complaint, written by teachers who requested that their identities be concealed, urged the press to “investigate and denounce the high rate of tribalism and corruption in the Divisional Delegation of Secondary Education in Donga Mantung.”

The disgruntled principals wrote inter alia: “It is alleged that in the last appointments of principals in Donga Mantung, the Divisional Delegate decided to transfer non-indigene principals from nearby schools to schools in the interior. Before he did this, he collected money from the indigene principals using an agent called Tarlishi Oliver.”

The Principals claimed that the Delegate decided to transfer the Principal of GHS Mbu-Warr in Nkambe Central to GHS Lus in Nwa; that of GHS Talla in Ndu to GHS Mbu-Warr and the Principal of GHS Sabongari in Nwa to GHS Ako.

Other transfers effected included the movement of the Principal of GBHS Ndu to GHS Zhoa in Menchum Division, that of GSS Mbiplah in Ndu to GSS Dzembuck in Nwa, while the man who was heading GHS Nyanji in Nkambe was moved to GSS Dumbu in Ako subdivision.

They further accused Tarlishi for moving to three different schools within four years. “We wish that this matter be investigated upon so that this phenomenon of tribalism, bribery and corruption is stopped in Donga Mantung,” they stated.

When The Post contacted Oliver Tarlishi on phone on August 22 to comment on his involvement in the matter as well as the issues raised against him, he described such allegations as “false. God knows this. I am a colleague to them and I own a certificate and not a post. I have never been an errand boy to whomever.

Those who are working hard to blackmail me should be very careful. If I am too powerful, as they claim, to cause the administration to move them to other schools, then I should be able to also place myself in one of the biggest schools in the city,” he stated.

On what happened to him to be able to move to three different schools in four years as stated by his colleagues, Tarlishi corrected that the movements took place within a period of six years. “For the past 21 years, I have been working only in schools located in villages. I was in GHS Tabenken for 14 years, GHS Mbu-Warr for three years, GSS Ntong in Nwa for two years, and before my recent transfer, I was in GSS Dumbo for three years,” Tarlishi told The Post.

On his part, the Divisional Delegate of Secondary Education for Donga Mantung, Cletus Njobe Kimbi, who was o to preside at a handing over ceremony in one of the schools in Nwa, refuted all the allegations of tribalism and corruption leveled against him by the Principals.

According to him, at the end of every school year, Delegates are required to make proposals for transfers and appointments as necessity of service demands. He said as a Delegate, he is the ears, eyes and mouthpiece of his hierarchy. “If proposals for appointments are made and the hierarchy validates, then I don’t see the reason why some people should be complaining. Some of the Principals who were moved have been heading the same schools for ten years and more,” he revealed.

According to the Delegate, some of the Principals were recommended for outright replacement including indigenes of the Division because of managerial lapses and stealing of school equipment. He cited a case, where one of the Principals is under detention on charges of looting school equipment.

Meanwhile, an independent source hinted The Post that out of some 16 principals heading schools in Ndu Subdivision; only three are indigenes of the Division.

“In addition, there are principals heading schools in the suburbs but who prefer to stay in towns such as Nkambe and Ndu. They tend to be very irregular with the consequence being the poor management of the schools and if such persons are redeployed to other institutions, they need not complain,” the source observed.

The Post gathered that some of the Principals who wanted to remain in their former schools are refusing to hand over to recently appointed or transferred colleagues, an act the source considered as defying the decision of the Minister of Secondary Education.