Katsina Earmarks N1bn For Exams

The Katsina State government has earmarked over N1 billion for payment of examination fees for all final year students that will be writing their Senior School Certificate Examinations next year.

The commissioner for education, Prof Lawal Badamasi Charanchi, stated this while denying a statement from the National Rescue Movement Party (NRMP) signed by Hon Abubakar Bichi alleging that the state government failed to pay the WAEC fees for students this year.

According to the commissioner, Hon Bichi was ignorant of the performance of the state government in the education sector, especially in the area of payment of students’ examination fees from 2015 to 2021, adding that over N4.2 billion was spent in seven years for the payment of 399,550 students’ examination fees in the state.

He added that the government had approved the payment of N1.08 billion as examination fees for about 60,000 students to be registered for next year’s WAEC, NECO, NABTEB and NBAIS examinations.

The commissioner wondered why the statement was circulating in the media without the author verifying the true position of the situation of education in Katsina State, adding that it was a misrepresentation of the administration of Governor Aminu Bello Masari in education.