BY Kehinde Oluwatayo

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Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) has been described as a pillar educational development that can complement effort of government in developing schools.
While reacting to a rift between a principal and the PTA chairman of a secondary school in the state, Secretary of PTA in Ondo State, Dr Toyin Olobayo said the primary function of the association is to complement government’s efforts in public schools.
Olobayo who is also the Principal of Ejioba, Obaile stated that the association finds out the area of need of schools to see how they could come in and assist.
According to him, some even donate money to meet the needs of their schools at times.
He added that they influence posting of teachers to schools at times and employ PTA teachers in a situation where there are no enough teachers and pay them stipend to complement government’s efforts.
His words, “PTA is a non religious and a non governmental organisation. Their role is to support the school authority morally and financially and the welfare of both the students and teachers must be paramount to them.
“However, they must cooperate with the principal or headteacher of the school in performing their roles so that there could be mutual understanding and harmonious relationship between them.
According to him, the principal or the headteacher and the PTA chairman are both signatory to the account of the approved PTA levy and non has a unilateral power over it.
Also speaking, state Chairman of All Nigerians Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools, Mr Ajinde Mebawondu said that the principal is the general overseer of the school.
According to him, “the principal is in charge of all monies including PTA levy. But those who contributed the money must be aware of what you want to spend the money for and how.
Mebawondu while reacting to the case stressed that the rift between them was as a result of communication gap.
“Nobody told me anything. I only read about it but I believe that communication gap is what is creating the problem,” he said.