Niger Stops Payment of WAEC/ NECO Fees for Non-indigenes

Laleye Dipo

The Niger State government may have stopped the payment of the registration fees for nonindigenous students sitting for public examinations in public schools throughout the state.

According to a source close to some of the parents of the affected students, these category of students were verbally directed to pay the appropriate fees through their school heads for onward delivery to the examination bodies.

However according to the source, government will continue to pay the registration fees for Indigenous students.

It was learnt that preparatory to the implementation of the policy, indigene students were given forms to fill while an indemnity had been sent to the examination bodies with regards to the amount the government would pay.

The payment of both the WAEC and NECO registration fees was introduced in 2007 by the administration of former Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu to reduce the financial burden on parents.

However at the inception of the present administration Governor Abubakar Sani Bello blaming paucity of funds changed the policy by directing that government would henceforth pay for only one examination for all category of students sitting for the public examination in public schools.

The new government policy has already created confusion among parents of non indigene students in public schools.

Some of the parents had besieged media houses saying “we are caught unawares by this new government policy.”

“Where are we going to get N25,000 to pay these registration fees, government should have given us a long notice to plan.”

One Mr. Vincent Obioma said “this government wants to destroy the education of our children.”

It was learnt that the registration for students that would write the May - June senior school certificate examination would close this week, while that for NECO would open next month.

All efforts to confirm the veracity of this policy from the Commissioner for Education Hajia Fatima Madugu was abortive

When also contacted, the Commissioner for Information said: “I promise to confirm from my colleague in the ministry of education and get back to you.”

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Jibrin Ndace, when contacted, promised to verify the authenticity of the story and “contact you back” but did not do so at press time.