Katsina spends N514 million on student examinations in 2024

Hajiya Zainab Musawa, Katsina State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, has revealed that the state government has allocated N514,105,250 to facilitate students’ participation in the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and other external exams in 2024.

She stated that N450,117,000 was paid for 11,671 students to register for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams, and N63,988,250.00 was provided for 3,110 students to take the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS) exams. Musawa noted that this is in addition to the 60,351 candidates who sat for the NECO exam in Katsina State and the 452 candidates who sat for NABTEB in 2024.

Musawa made the announcement during a press briefing on Tuesday to respond to recent media reports that characterised the state’s performance in the 2024 National Examinations Council (NECO) results negatively.

While noting the need for students to improve their performance in the 2024 NECO exams, Musawa disclosed that Katsina State ranked sixth nationwide in the number of students who passed the exam with five credits or more, including Mathematics and English.

“This is a staggering achievement, with 29,633 students meeting this critical benchmark—more than in at least 30 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja,” Musawa said.

Comparatively, she revealed that this figure represents a significant increase from the 25,152 candidates who met the same benchmark in 2023, reflecting a remarkable growth of approximately 17.8%. The Education Commissioner attributed this achievement to the state’s proactive measures to improve education quality, such as teacher recruitment, training, and infrastructure development.

Furthermore, Musawa pointed out that the media reports overlooked the male applicants’ exceptional achievement in the 2024 NECO examination, as well as the large number of students mobilised and supported by the Katsina State Government.

The Education Commissioner praised Governor Dikko Umar Radda for spearheading these positive changes, which included the largest teacher recruitment initiative in state history and increased education funding.

While noting that obstacles still exist, Musawa voiced confidence about the future of education in Katsina State, citing ongoing reforms and the Radda-led government’s unwavering commitment to delivering quality education to all students.