Yahaya Bello-led Kogi State Government on Saturday announced that it had concluded plans to make payment of external and internal examinations’ fees free as a policy for subsequent administrations in the state.
Mr Wemi Jones, Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, announced at a meeting of the National Executive Committee of North Central of All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) in Lokoja.
It would be recalled that the state government had, in November 2023, pronounced free education for students from primary to secondary school.
It was gathered that an integral part of the policy was the payment of internal and external exam fees for students by the state government.
The commissioner, while thanking 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, added that the law, when passed and assented to, would make it mandatory for the Kogi Government to pay both internal and external examinations fees for students in public schools in the state.
Jones also noted that all the successes recorded in the education sector would not have been possible without the commitment of Gov. Yahaya Bello, describing him as a Messiah sent by God to revive education in Kogi while adding that education, as a catalyst for societal development, had been given the attention it deserved by the governor.
The commissioner emphasised that the government planned 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.
“To benefit from the natural resources that abound in the state, government is focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.
“The GYB Model Science Secondary Schools being built across the state were meant to train students to face challenges ahead,” he said.
NAN