Niger Govt Committed To Paying Students WAEC Fees

The Niger State Government says it will continue to pay fees for students writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in the state.

Hajiya Fatima Madugu, the Commissioner for Education, made the disclosure on Monday in Minna.

Gov Abubakar Bello had threatened to stop the payment of WAEC and National Examinations Council (NECO) fees for students over poor academic performances.

Madugu, however, said the payment of examination fees would henceforth be based on the criterion that only the best performing students would be selected as beneficiaries.

She said that only students, who pass the secondary school final examinations with six credits, including Mathematics and English language, would henceforth be paid for.

“Payment of WAEC fees for students in public schools is the government’s responsibility, while that of NECO is the responsibility of parents.

“The state government has not stopped payment of WAEC fees; we are still committed to it because it is a way of encouraging child enrolment in school and reducing cost on parents.

“Paying examination fees for best performing students will encourage other students to improve on their performances,’’ she said.

The commissioner added that the government would continue to give priority to the education sector for quality people.