Ekiti Pays N546.9 Million WAEC Fees

By Ayodele Oni

In a bid to prioritize education and ease financial strain on parents, the Ekiti State Government has paid a total of N546,901,000.00 to cover the West African Examination Council/Senior School Certificate Examination (WAEC/SSCE) fees for the year 2024.

The amount also  covers administrative expenses of all the 16,269 SS3 students in public secondary schools in the State registered for the examination.

Commissioner for Education, Dr. Bimpe Aderiye, in a statement made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti,  on Monday, stressed that no public  secondary school is therefore authorized to collect any WAEC registration fees in the State.

Despite the directive, some secondary schools in the state are still demanding for payment of N15,000 by each candidate as administrative charges.

But, Dr Aderiye warned that it would be an act of sabotage for officials of any of the public schools in the State to demand for any fee in respect of the examination.

She also cautioned parents and guardians against paying unauthorized fees, noting that such acts undermine Government’s policy and impair efforts to boost the socioeconomic status of the people.

The Commissioner advised all stakeholders to report any demand for the 2024 unauthorized fees to  her office or those of the Permanent Secretaries of Education or Teaching Service Commission.

Reiterating the commitment of the State Government to improving the education sector, Aderiye assured that no stone would be left unturned towards achieving the desired goal.