WAEC: stakeholders, parents and students bemoan states’ inability to pay fees

Going by the threat issued by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) many students may fail to meet up with their university admission this year.

News broke last week that WAEC will withhold results of students in 19 states who sat for the May/June 2015 WASSCE over non-payment of candidates’ registration fees by their state governments.

Since the news was made public, stakeholders, parents and students have expressed concern over the way state governments handle education sector. They lamented that these states governments have been playing the game of chess with the lives of these candidates. They are shocked that several of them failed to pay the fees running to over N4 billion and are not making effort towards settling them.

The Head of National Office, HNO, Mr Charles Eguridu had explained that the affected states should off-set the registration fee of their candidates as soon as possible because the body cannot guarantee that the results of their candidates for the May/June 2015 WASSCE will be released alongside others.

He further stated that a total number of 19 states in the country owe the Council in respect of entry fees for states government- sponsored candidates for the May/June 2015 WASSCE noting that some states also still owe the Council registration fees for the May/June 2014 WASSCE. According to him, all effort made by the Council to get the money from them proved abortive.

Though, he failed to mention names of the indebted states because he felt most of them just assumed office but he however urged the indebted states to pay up within the two weeks. His words: “Many of the states of the federation, as part of their education policy, pay the registration fees of candidates for the WASSCE, particularly in the public schools.

Meanwhile, some stakeholders, parents and students have expressed concern over the inability of these state governments to pay the required sum, adding that the affected states have been handling the issue with kid gloves.

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) President, Comrade Michael Alogba- Olukoya, blamed the governors for what he termed misplacement of priorities and duplication of responsibilities. He stated that rather than appointing 30 commissioners and several special advisers, state governments should learn how to cut cost of governance and redirect the available funds to the relevant sectors, particularly education.

Alogba who also complained about the number of vehicles usually in the convoy of public officials, wondered that such reckless spending should be stopped forthwith and new priorities set.
He said: “As an educationist, no aspect of the national economy will thrive if the people are not educated. Hunger and poverty are the hallmarks of the people today, and one of the ways of lifting their burden will be the provision of free education including the sponsorship of WASSCE for students.”

He further added that there was no basis for the states to drop the policy of paying WEAC fees, saying that is part of the benefits the children of the poor could enjoy from the government.

The Chairman of the Lagos Zone of ASUU, Dr. Sola Nasir, reproached the governors for not making education a priority, he added that the low standard of education in the country could be linked to this.

According to Nasir, while it is not arguable that physical infrastructure should be invested on by the states, the critical bedrock for national development are education and health. He insisted that if quality education is not provided to the citizens they will come back to destroy the infrastructure built by the state no matter how beautiful, due to lack of proper education denied them by the government.

Nasir, therefore, appeals to WAEC and concerned states, to resolve the issue within the window period before the release of the results.

Ifedapo Olarewaju, a student explained that the federal government should come to their assistance since the state governments are joking with their future, adding that she has no time to waste. In her words, “If they fail to release these result, that would be waste of another year. The federal government needs to come to our aid. I have my Jamb result settled already, do I have to wait for another year because our state government can’t pay the supposed money they are meant to? ” I am really sad.

Akinjuigbe Olaide stated that when student would be the first to receive blame whenever the issue of failure in result arises not minding that everyone most especially the government has a part to play.

“Government put blame on students and teachers not knowing they also have a part to play, our governments are just putting our lives at stake, they send their own children to study abroad and they joke with our own life. It is really not fair.

A parent, Mrs Akintade Okikiolu said students should not be caught at the middle of the boiling issue, she urged WAEC to publish the list of the affected states and take legal action against them to retrieve their money.
She added that WEAC with-holding the result of student would only end to the inability of most students securing admission into tertiary institution this year.

Meanwhile, members of the House of Representatives last week urged states owing WAEC to pay up. The call followed a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Linus Okorie (Ebonyi-PDP) and which was unanimously adopted by the members. Mr. Okorie expressed concern over the fate of 600,000 candidates, whom he said risk forfeiting their admission if WAEC goes ahead with its threat to withhold their result.

Similarly, Charles Eguridu also issued a warning against parents and schools that engage in organised malpractice, saying they would be caught and dealt with. He said parents and schools that engage in mass cheating are liable to dire consequences, including persecution by the state.

He also decried the increasing wave of examination malpractice in Nigeria over the last four years.

According to WAEC statistics, in 2011, 4.65 per cent of the total candidates that sat for WAEC engaged in malpractice; in 2012, it increased to 7.15 per cent, jumped to 7.75 per cent in 2013 and last year, 8.39 per cent of the 1, 692, 037 candidates who sat for the examinations were found culpable of examination fraud.