Ebonyi Pledges to Pay Exam Fees For Pupils

The Ebonyi State government has said it will pay part of the 2010 West African Examinations (WAEC), National Examinations Council (NECO) and National Board for Technical Examinations (NABTEB) fees of pupils.

Commissioner for Education, Mr. Hyacinth Ikpor made this known Wednesday, in Abakaliki, at a meeting with head teachers of government secondary schools.

He said government would pay N3,000 out of the N5,150 charged each candidate by the three examination bodies.

The commissioner directed the head teachers to submit lists of their candidates to the Secondary Schools Education Department of the ministry for vetting.

The department will vet the list and indicate the total amount you will pay into the ministry’s account as the share of parents”.

“The accounts departments of the ministry will then raise bank drafts in favour of WAEC, NECO and NABTEB, attaching the lists of students registered for the examination”, he said.

Ikpor warned the head teachers against forcing pupils to pay more than the approved amount.

He assured that the state would correct lapses in the Educational Sector to enhance its growth. Chairman of the State Secondary Education Board Mrs. Patience Oko said the board was not happy that the head teacher bypass the board and head straight to the commissioner with their problems.

“A situation where issues that should ordinarilly be handled by the board are forwarded straight to the commissioner creates room for inefficiency”, she said.

Also speaking, Mr. Thomas Eze, chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, urged teachers to rededicate themselves. “Lack of commitment to duty by teachers is responsible for the numerous problems, such as examination malpractice and poor performance in examination”, he said.

Responding, Mr. Matins Ngene, head teacher of Ezi Okposi High School in Ohaozara appealed to the commissioner to address the frequent friction between school heads and their deputies.