Relief for parents as 1,000 pupils get free UTME, WAEC forms

No fewer than 1,000 indigent secondary school students across communities in Osun State have benefited from free registration for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WAEC).

The beneficiaries, drawn from Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore and Ejigbo Federal Constituency, received the forms during the 10th anniversary of the education support initiative held in Ejigbo on Wednesday.

The sponsor of the programme, an All Progressives Congress chieftain, Ayodele Asalu, said the intervention was introduced in 2016 to assist brilliant but financially disadvantaged students to pursue higher education.

He disclosed that over 7,000 WAEC and UTME forms have been distributed since the programme began a decade ago.

“For this edition, 450 students were sponsored for WAEC while 550 students received UTME forms, and all WAEC beneficiaries were automatically registered for JAMB,” he explained.

According to him, the students were selected from 20 public secondary schools in Ejigbo, with the top 15 students chosen from each school. Additional beneficiaries were nominated through religious organisations, traditional institutions, community leaders and other stakeholders to ensure fairness and inclusiveness.

Asalu urged the beneficiaries and their parents to make good use of the opportunity by preparing adequately for their examinations.

He added that the initiative was aimed at reducing the financial burden on parents and guardians, especially amid current economic challenges.

The sponsor also called on well-meaning Nigerians to support less privileged students, noting that such gestures could promote peace, stability and educational development in society.