Edu News

Bauchi Government Allocates N793.6m for Exam Fees of Indigent Students

The Bauchi State government has sanctioned the disbursement of N793.6 million to cover the external examination fees of 25,410 financially disadvantaged students.

Similarly, Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo has approved the allocation of N542 million for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) fees, benefiting 18,734 students enrolled in public schools across the state.

The funds from Bauchi State will be used to pay for the registration fees of students sitting for the 2025 National Examination Council (NECO), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), and the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS).

This announcement was made by the Commissioner for Education, Muhammed Lawal, during a press briefing held on Tuesday in Bauchi.

He stated that Governor Bala Mohammed had authorized the release of these funds to guarantee the timely payment of examination registration fees for students in public secondary schools.

Lawal emphasized that this initiative reflects the governor’s commitment to assisting parents, promoting student enrollment, ensuring retention, and facilitating school transition.

“This substantial financial commitment underscores the governor’s dedication to ensure that all qualified students in Bauchi State have the opportunity to pursue their academic goals without financial barriers.”

“This unprecedented action by the governor is quite commendable, it is a good gesture in a good direction to ensure that every child in the state has access to education.”

Meanwhile, Governor Ahmed Ododo of Kogi State has also approved funding to cover the Common Entrance Examination (CEE) for basic six pupils, as well as the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) fees for students in public schools.

The Commissioner for Education, Mr. Wemi Jones, made this announcement at a media briefing on Tuesday in Lokoja.

Jones specified that N145.4 million would be allocated for the CEE, benefiting 25,100 basic six pupils, while N215.2 million would be used to cover the examination fees of 30,500 students eligible for BECE.

Additionally, he noted that N181.7 million had been earmarked for UTME fees for 18,734 students, bringing the total expenditure to N542.4 million.

He explained that this initiative aligns with the state government’s law, which mandates free examination registration fees for Kogi students attending public primary and secondary schools.

The commissioner pointed out that this law was enacted by former Governor Yahaya Bello, and he reaffirmed the current administration’s commitment under Governor Ododo to building upon the achievements of the previous government in the education sector.

In October 2024, the Kogi State government had previously allocated more than N661.3 million to pay for the 2024/2025 West African Examination Council (WAEC) fees for students in public schools.

Jones revealed that, to date, the state government had spent a total of N1.2 billion on covering examination fees for public school students, including both internal and external assessments, for the 2024/2025 academic session.

According to him, this initiative has led to a notable rise in school enrollment rates across the state, with the 2024 exam fee payments alone contributing to an 18 per cent increase in student enrollment.

Related Posts