Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has ordered immediate refund of N2000 and N1,500 examination charges that the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) collected from teachers who applied to become principals and vice principals across the state.

AbdulRazaq reasoned that there was no basis for such charges since all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government now get their running cost since he came on board, according to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye.

The statement said the over 100 applicants for the positions who sat the evaluation examination last Wednesday had been asked to pay the fee as was the practice before but the administration objected to it on the ground that the government had already paid for running cost that covers such exercise.

TESCOM has complied with the Governor’s directive as over 90% of the applicants have been refunded, the statement said, quoting the TESCOM’s supervisory Permanent Secretary, Bayo Onimago.

“The directive has been complied with immediately. Almost all the affected principals and Vice principals have been refunded,” the statement quoted Onimago as saying.

A key development in Kwara’s civil service since AbdulRazaq’s ascension was the restoration of running cost to the ministries – a step that has gone a long way in energising the civil service to perform its roles as the government’s engine room.