Despite the financial challenges that parents and guardians experience in meeting their children’s educational demands, the National Examinations Council (NECO) announced intentions to raise examination registration fees over the weekend.
The planned increase in payable fees follows a visit to NECO headquarters in Minna, Niger state capital, by the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Services last year as part of its oversight function, and a warning against increasing payable fees above the government-approved N9,850 for registration.
However, in response to question during the announcement of the 2020/2021 Senior Secondary School (SSCE) internal, NECO’s Registrar/Chief Execute, Professor Dantani Wushishi, said there is the possibility of increasing due fees to suit global economic realities.
Professor Wushishi stated that the rise in all payable fees is unavoidable in order to meet global financial realities, adding that the increase is in accordance with foreign exchange rates and associated patterns that are not unique to NECO.
Dantani Wushishi bemoaned the “internal and external issues” that NECO has had since he took over as Registrar/Chief Executive of the examination organization, which he says is exacerbated by the debt burden borne mostly by some northern states.
Many states have refused to pay, he said, adding that it is sad that the afflicted governments, especially northern ones, reneged on the gentleman arrangement established to allow their children to sit for the exams after which the cash would be paid.
“With the way things are today in the country and the current exchange rates, we are going to increase registration cost for all our examinations,” said the Registrar, who did not specify which states or the exact amount involved before the next registration.
According to him, many states owe not less than N2.8 billion, while six of them, including Zamfara, Adamawa, Kano, Gombe, Borno, and Niger, owing NECO not less than N1.8 billion for pupils enrolled in 2019.
“These state governments will offer to pay examination fees for candidates from their states but when it comes to the actual payment, they don’t do it, and that has strapped NECO. Most of these states owing are yet to remit, even as we decided not to withhold their results in the spirit of mutual respect, togetherness and understanding”.
He said, “If we do not increase payable fees we cannot to conduct examinations. It is with this money that NECO pays members of staff to carry out the examination duties, in addition to buying stationeries and other materials needed for the smooth conduct of the SSCE”.
Recalled that NECO demanded registration fee for the 2021 Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), between N11, 350 and N13, 350, against financial difficulties being expressed by parents.
