Kogi to legalise free payment of external, internal exam fees

The Kogi State Government said it has concluded plans to make payment of external and internal examination fees free, as a policy for subsequent administrations in the state.

The state’s Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Wemi Jones, said this at a meeting of the National Executive Committee of North Central of All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) in Lokoja.

The Kogi government had, in November 2023, pronounced free education for students from primary to secondary school, adding that an integral part of the policy was the payment of internal and external exam fees for students by the state government.

Jones said the law, when passed and assented, would make it mandatory for the government to pay both internal and external examinations fees for students in public schools in the state.

He thanked the state’s ANCOPSS for its cooperation towards the execution of the state government’s policies aimed at delivering quality education to the citizens of Kogi.

Jones noted that all the successes recorded in the education sector would not have been possible without the commitment of Governor Yahaya Bello, describing him as a Messiah sent by God to revive education in Kogi.

He said that education, as a catalyst for societal development, had been given the attention it deserved by the governor

The commissioner emphasised that government’s plan was to raise globally competitive students in all fields.

He explained that the establishment of Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH) Osara, and Kogi State University KSU Kabba, was to train students in science and technology.

According to him, the establishment of the institutions is also to provide opportunities for Kogi students to have access to university education.

“To benefit from the natural resources that abound in the state, government is focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education,” he said.

On his part, the North Central Chairman of ANCOPSS, Christopher Ogiri, commended the government for its giant strides in education, especially in secondary and tertiary schools.

The state president of ANCOPSS, Mallam Suberu Omanayi, congratulated the government for the successes recorded in education.

Omanayi commended the commissioner for his doggedness and commitment to transforming and restoring the glory of education in the state. (NAN)