WAEC, NECO Fee Hike Suspended Because Of Election, Parents Allege

By HENRY TYOHEMBA, AZA MSUE, NICHOLAS DEKERA, INIOBONG EKPONTA, FEMI OYEWESO and BRAHIM OBANSA

The Federal Government had recently planned to increase the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) registration fee from N27,000 to N50,000, but later suspended it following public outcry.

Some parents and students said the government did not shelve the idea due to public interest, but because of the fear of the fast-approaching 2027 general elections.

They wondered why current politicians who attended school at no cost in their days have now turned schools into money-making ventures.

In Kaduna State, some parents and students expressed concern about the initial plan to increase fees.

The parents who spoke with LEADERSHIP Sunday said the increment would force some final-year secondary school students not to register, given the economic hardship since the government’s withdrawal of the fuel subsidy.

A parent, Tanko Waje, who resides at Sabon Tasha in Chikun local government area of the state, said that with the exorbitant school fees being collected by many schools, the proposed N50,000 SSCE registration fee would cause almost N200,000 per student.

“Even with N21,000 registration fee some schools are collecting more than that hiding under different names and if the government increases the fee again it will render some of us incapable of registering our children,” he said.

A student of Harmony Academy, Kaduna, Joshua Ikem, lamented that if government goes ahead with the plan his parents cannot register three of them to sit for the SSCE. “I am from a humble background, and we are three in SS 2, and if the government implements the proposal, our parents may register only one among us. They are petty traders and on government payroll,” he said.

On his part, a proprietor of one of the schools in Kaduna, who identified himself as Mike Ogbonna, supported the government plan. “If the government decides to increase the SSCE registration fee, I don’t have a problem with that, but let it be reasonable so that parents can afford to pay. Even with the current fee, many parents are not finding it easy to pay for their children,” he said.

‎Similarly, Education stakeholders in Zamfara State have kicked against the initial plan by the Federal Government to increase the SSCE registration fee from ₦27,000 to ₦50,000, saying if implemented, it will be dangerous for the education system in the country.

‎Speaking exclusively with LEADERSHIP Sunday, the principal of Government Science Secondary School in Bukuyum LGA of Zamfara State, Mallam Ahmed Mamuda, said, “An increase in SSCE fees by the Federal Government is likely to place a heavy financial burden on parents and discourage many students from registering for the examination.

‎”Instead of increasing the registration fees, the government should consider reducing them. Lower examination fees would encourage more parents to enroll their children in school and motivate out-of-school children to return to the classroom. This would promote equal access to education and support the goal of Education for All.

‎Making education more affordable is essential for improving literacy, reducing poverty and building a brighter future for the nation.”

‎Also, Nasiru Nagwago, the principal of Government Science Secondary School Gusau said, the decision is a clear indication of policy summersault by the government. “We are battling with out- of-school children on one side, and instead of the government building on that, they were contemplating increasing the fees.”

‎A parent in Zamfara College of Art and Science (ZACAS), Lawali Kabiru who spoke in Hausa said, “The government is insensitive. Most of them went to school under a free education policy, but today they are killing the future generations by ending education for the poor. This seeming suspension of the increase is not because they love the masses; it is because of 2027.”

‎…NANS, Parents Say WAEC Fee Hike Could Worsen Out-of-School Crisis

‎On their part, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and some parents warned that any increase in SSCE registration fees could worsen Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis and place an unbearable burden on struggling families.

‎The students, alongside some parents, spoke in interviews with LEADERSHIP Sunday about the initial proposal to increase the registration fee for examinations conducted by WAEC and NECO to N50,000, although the Federal Government later suspended the proposed increase.

‎The National Public Relations Officer of NANS, Comrade Obidah David, said the proposed increase was shocking and ill-timed.

‎”Our reaction at the National Association of Nigerian Students was one of shock and deep concern. The proposed increase came at a time when many Nigerian families are already struggling with the rising cost of living,” he said.

‎David stressed that any policy with far-reaching implications for students should be preceded by broad consultations with key stakeholders, including students, parents, school proprietors and education advocates.

‎”We believe that any policy with such significant implications for students should be preceded by broad consultations with critical stakeholders. This is why NANS immediately issued a statement rejecting the proposed increase,” he added.

‎He also stated that raising the examination fee from N27,000 to N50,000 would impose a heavy financial burden on millions of households and undermine the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to improve access to education.

‎”We do not consider the proposed increase fair. A jump from N27,000 to N50,000 represents a substantial financial burden on millions of Nigerian families. It also contradicts the efforts of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration to expand access to education and ease the financial pressure on students through various educational interventions,” he said.

‎David further warned that the proposed increase would disproportionately affect children from low-income families, particularly in Northern Nigeria, where the number of out-of-school children remains high.

‎He cautioned that rather than encouraging school enrolment and completion, the increase could push more children out of the education system.

‎Also reacting, a parent, Mrs Theresa Christopher, whose daughter is currently sitting the NECO examination at Federal Government Girls’ College, Gboko, described the proposed increase as too harsh on parents already struggling to meet educational expenses.

‎”Any increase in the examination registration fee at this period will be too harsh on parents. Many families cannot afford such an increase if the government eventually approves it,” she said.

‎She appealed to the Federal Government to prioritise education by subsidising examination costs to ensure that children from poor families are not denied the opportunity to complete their secondary education.

‎In Ogun State, the proprietress of Goodness Kiddies Nursery and Primary School, Abeokuta, Mrs Azeez Olubukola Ayinke, said, “I am not in support of the Federal Government’s initial plan to increase the registration fee. This is because, considering the economic situation of the country, many parents may not be able to afford the incremental fee of N50,000

‎”I believe the government should be able to help the citizens in having a good education by supporting them, not adding to their problems.”

‎…Kogi Residents Fault Proposed Hike

‎Parents, students, teachers and school proprietors in Kogi State have criticised the initial proposal to increase the registration fee for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) conducted by WAEC and NECO from ₦27,000 to ₦50,000, describing it as insensitive to the prevailing economic hardship.

‎The stakeholders, who spoke with LEADERSHIP Sunday in separate interviews, said the proposed increase would place an unbearable financial burden on many families and could force some students out of school.

‎A parent residing in Gadumo, Lokoja, Haruna Musa, welcomed the suspension of the proposed increase, insisting that many parents are already struggling to pay the current registration fee.

‎Another parent in the Felele area, who has three children in a government secondary school, also opposed the planned increase, urging government and relevant stakeholders to permanently shelve the proposal.

‎According to him, the rising cost of living has already stretched many households beyond their limits, making any additional financial obligation difficult to bear.

‎Some secondary school students in Lokoja also expressed concern about the proposal, saying it would further worsen their parents’ financial burden.

‎”Our parents already find it difficult to pay our school fees. Increasing examination registration fees will make things worse for many families,” one of the students told LEADERSHIP Weekend.

‎Similarly, a private school proprietor in Lokoja advised the authorities to abandon the proposed increase, noting that schools are already struggling to collect fees from parents.

‎”Many parents struggle to pay school fees and other levies. An increase in examination registration fees will negatively affect students and may reduce enrolment for the examinations,” the proprietor said.

‎However, a teacher who regularly participates in WAEC examination invigilation argued that the proposed increase reflected the rising cost of conducting the examinations.

‎Speaking on condition of anonymity, the teacher said logistics, transportation of examination materials and payments to invigilators had become significantly more expensive due to inflation and higher fuel prices.

‎He, however, called for dialogue among the government, examination bodies, and other stakeholders in the education sector to find a balanced solution that would not impose undue hardship on parents while ensuring the smooth conduct of the examinations.

‎Stakeholders in Enugu State have also condemned the initial plans of the Federal Government to increase the registration fees of WAEC and NECO.

‎Some of the stakeholders who spoke with LEADERSHIP Weekend in Enugu warned that any sudden increase in fees could trigger a massive drop in enrolments.

‎A parent, Mr Obinna Ibekwe, warned against the increment, saying that they were even finding it difficult to pay the current N27,000 fees

‎He maintained that the suspended increase, if reversed, will be terribly insensitive to the prevailing economic realities and widespread poverty facing Nigerian families.

‎A secondary school student, Miss Favour Mbakwe, appealed to the Federal Government not to increase the current fees.

‎She told our correspondent that their parents were having difficulty even paying the current fees.

‎A teacher, Mr Obinna Jideiofor, also kicked against the plan, pointing out that quality secondary education should be a public service heavily subsidised by the government, rather than a revenue-generating avenue.

‎Also reacting to the proposed increment, the proprietor of Triumph and Peak International Schools, Dr Gladys Ajaero, urged the Federal Government to cancel the plan.

‎She urged the government to immediately convene a stakeholders’ meeting to discuss the issue.

‎…Akwa Ibom Parents Heave Sigh Of Relief As FG Reverses New SSCE Fees

‎Although the administration of Governor Umo Eno, of Akwa Ibom State, has been subsidising SSCE fees, especially for students in public secondary schools, parents of private schools’ students, who usually bear the brunt of the burden of their children and wards, have heaved a sigh of relief over the federal government’s shelving of plan increments of the fees from the hitherto N27,000 to N50,000.

‎At the Valour International School, Abak local government area, a parent, Mrs Imediuwem Thompson, described the earlier plan by the federal government as “very insensitive considering the mood of the nation and the prevailing socio-economic challenges faced by most parents whose income and wages have remained stagnant in the last couple of years.”

‎A teacher at Government School, Etim Ekpo LGA, Sister Blessing Akan said, “I have two children in the exit classes at the Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene, and I know how much we normally tax ourselves each term to ensure we allow them to remain in school.”

‎Prince Ubong Ekanem, an activist in Uyo, lamented that, “Prices of basic items have gone astronomically high including essential goods, but government is thinking of suppressing the masses the more. And the paradox of this entire exhibition of leadership ineptitude is that we are close to the elections, and the same people they are making to bite dust are the same people they would go round to beg for votes amid extreme hardship in the land.”

‎According to him, the suspension of the fee hike is merely buying time until the elections are over, warning the government not to reverse the suspension under any guise to avoid increasing the number of out-of-school children.

‎Also, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), the Centre for Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN), described the aborted decision as ill-timed.

‎According to the director of the organisation, Otuekong Franklin Isong, “this is the time for government to prioritize policies that impact positively on humans lives, rather than exacerbate it.”

‎In the same vein, Comrade Clifford, chairman of the Akwa Ibom Human Rights Community (AIHRC) and Hon. Emem Edoho, the executive director, Network Advancement Programme for Poverty and Disaster Risk Reduction (NAPPDRR), frowned at the cancelled plan by the family, noting that, “if such decision was allowed to stand, it would present the administration of President Bola Tinubu, as a government without a human face.”