Akwa Ibom State Government said it has released the sum of N778,998,500 as payment for the 2023/2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for 48,797 students across public schools in the state.
Speaking with newsmen in Uyo at the weekend, the Commissioner for Education, Mrs Idongesit Etiebet said the amount was initial payments for candidates participating in the sub-regional examination this year.
The Commissioner said the breakdown of the amount covers NIN registration fee, biometric registration, funds for administrative costs, as well as 50% of the WASSCE fee.
She explained that the increase in sundry charges for the examination has raised the yearly payment fee by the State Government from N1 billion – N1.5 billion.
She further noted that the West African School Examination fee hitherto N18,000 naira, has been increased to N27,000.
“The release of the initial payment by the State Government is to enable the students to participate in the examination, and the Government is expected to pay a balance of over N700,000,000 in due course.”
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Etiebet commended Governor Umo Eno for remaining committed to the welfare of students despite the apparent economic realities in the country adding that students will work hard and justify the huge investments committed by the Government.
“You could recall that, very recently the Government had released an additional N100 million to cater for the bursary of students of Akwa Ibom State origin at various tertiary institutions across the country, while grants ranging from N250,000 – N350,000 had also been given to students with disabilities, starting with tertiary institutions.”
The Education Commissioner disclosed that since the commencement of the bursary payment exercise, over 10,000 recipients have benefited from the exercise so far.
