Contrary to growing belief that the Rivers State Ministry of Education (RSMOE) has approved a fee to be paid by those to write this year’s Junior Secondary Certificate Examination, popularly called Junior WAEC, the State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Kaniye Ebeku said no amount has been approved.
Prof. Ebeku, who stated this in a recent statement, said any collection of money by principal in respect of the said examination is unauthorized and illegal.
“I will like to inform the public that the RSMOE has not authorized or approved  the collection of any amount as fee for Junior WAEC.
“Therefore, any amount collected by any principal from parents or wards as fee for Junior WAEC registration is unauthorized and illegal,” he said.
The Commissioner used the opportunity to warn principals involved in the collection of such money to not only desist, but also refund same.
“Any such money collected from parents or wards should be returned with immediate effect to their respective owners,” he stated.
While explaining that relevant information regarding registration of students for the JSCE will be provided to principals parents and wards in due course, he warned that any principal, caught in the act would be penalized.
“For the avoidance of doubt”, he said, “I would like to state clearly that any principal caught collecting unauthorized fees will be disciplined appropriately.