Akwa Ibom Govt approves N778.9m for WASSCE payment

The Akwa Ibom State government has given the green light for the release of N778.9 million to pay for the 2023/2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The Commissioner for Education, Mrs Idongesit Etiebiet, confirmed the news in an interview in Uyo, the state capital. She revealed that the sum would be the first payment for 48,797 candidates taking part in the sub-regional examination this year.

The breakdown of the amount, she explained, would cover payment for the National Identity Number (NIN) registration fee, capturing of biometrics, funds for administrative cost, as well as 50 percent of the WASSCE fee.

She noted that the increase in sundry charges for the examination has raised the yearly payment fee by the state government from N1 billion to N1.5 billion.

Mrs Etiebet further noted that the West African School Examination fee, which hitherto stood at N18,000 per candidate, has been increased to N27,000.

“The release of the initial payment by the State Government is to enable the students to participate in the examination, and the Government is expected to pay a balance of over N700 million in due course,” she added.

She commended the governor for his administration’s commitment to the welfare of students despite the prevailing socio-economic realities in the country, and charged the students to work hard and justify the huge investments committed by the government into their cause.

The commissioner recalled that since the commencement of the bursary payment exercise, over 10,000 recipients have benefited from this exercise.