This is even as it encouraged parents to play a key role in enforcing the government’s ban on levies in public schools by refusing to pay any illegal levies and reporting such instances of illegal levies to the authorities.

Founding Chairman, Exam Ethics Marshalls International, Ike Onyechere, stated this at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to Onyechere, most miracle centres operate as syndicates with membership that covers the chain of critical actors in the school and examination administration process.

The chairman, therefore, tasked parents to play a proactive role in ensuring that schools comply with the government’s ban on illegal levies.

He stressed that by actively supporting this enforcement, parents can help guarantee that schools provide a fair education to all students, without imposing unauthorized fees.

He said: “Research by Exam Ethics Marshals International indicate that 67 per cent of private and public secondary schools in Nigeria operate as ‘Exam Magic Centre’ or ‘miracle centres’.

“Exam magic centres thrive because parents willingly pay exorbitant fees and levies. Given the fact that exam magic ‘schools’ are interested only in the money and not in the welfare of the children and the fact that they are effectively laying the foundation for the eventual destruction of the future of the children, why are parents still willingly paying?’ The answer is in the Bible verse of Hosea 4:6 ESV. “My people perish for lack of knowledge”

“This is why the core objective of this press conference is to enlighten and mobilize more parents to stop the stupidity and foolishness of funding the destruction of their own children; to empower them to say no to illegal levies; and to support government to enforce the ban of levies in schools.

“The clarion call for now is for parents of pupils and students in public and private primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions to rise and actively support the enforcement of Federal and State Governments’ ban of illegal levies to turn off the financial life-line for criminalization of the education system.”

He said the illegal levies have become an organised criminal activity.

He listed ministry officials, private school proprietors, parents, Parent-Teacher Association, principals, administrators, lecturers, teaching and non-teaching staff and others as culprits.