Principal at the centre of £150,000 expenses revelations to step down
A PRINCIPAL who spent £150,000 of expenses from her further education college on luxuries including designer headphones and fine dining is to retire.
Stella Mbubaegbu, 64, the principal of Highbury College in Portsmouth, is stepping down next year after ministers said they were “deeply concerned” about her expenses claims.
Over the past five years, she spent more than £135,000 on accommodation, travel and food and drink, according to corporate credit card receipts obtained by the magazine FE Week.
Freedom of Information requests revealed she used the college’s money to take first-class flights, stay at five-star hotels around the world and travel in luxury chauffeur-driven cars.
The revelations this month came after Highbury College announced plans to close its sixth form amid deteriorating finances. The college, which previously had an “outstanding” rating, was last year downgraded to “requires improvement” by Ofsted.
Inspectors noted that “leaders and governors have been slow to reverse the college’s decline in performance.”
Ms Mbubaegbu, who has held her job for 19 years, said her decision had “nothing to do” with the expenses. In an interview with TES, she said: “My expenses have been duly approved, accounted for and audited.”
She said last month: “The story has attempted to paint a picture of me as a flagrant spendthrift using college funds for my own personal gain. This is not the case. The sole purpose for my international work has always been with the aim of increasing the college’s reputation overseas to create additional sources of income.”