Education secretary wrong

The National Letters

Allow me to clarify a comment made in yesterday’s The National by the Education secretary.
He stated that he will suspend any teacher or principal who collects school fees.
As far as I am concerned being a lawyer, the Education secretary does not have powers to suspend a teacher for any reason.
Only the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) and its authorised persons have that power.
Even the power to suspend schools or school boards that collect fees are not vested within the secretary nor the minister.
They belong to the provincial education boards under the National Education Act.
Even the minister does not have that power to suspend any teachers nor to direct TSC to suspend any teachers.
The minister and secretary  need legal advice from the department’s legal unit before going to the media.

Insider
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