Aregbesola to stop full payment of WAEC fees

The Osun Government said it could no longer bear the burden of full payment of West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) fees for students in public schools.

Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori, Deputy Governor, said this when the House of Assembly Committee on Education paid her a courtesy visit to her office in Osogbo on Wednesday.

Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Governor State of Osun

Laoye-Tomori , who doubled as Commissioner for Education, said that the state government would pay half of the WAEC fees, while parents would henceforth pay the remaining.

She said the state government spent over N500 million as WAEC fees for students per annum, adding that it could no longer bear the cost due to lack of fund.

“The state government is yet to complete the payment of 2014 WAEC fees and this is causing delay in the release of the students’ results,’’ she said.

On promotion for teachers, the deputy governor said that promotion would no longer be automatic, but would be based on performance of students in external examinations.

She also said that government would make it compulsory for teachers to teach in the rural areas for one year.

Laoye-Tomori added that those who would be teaching in the rural areas would get better pay than those in the urban area.

On the tertiary institution, she said it was not true that government was planning to merge Colleges of Education and Polytechnics in the state.

The deputy governor, however, said that government had put on hold admission into state-owned tertiary institution for the new session.

She said the one year break was to enable school authorities to improve on their curriculum and programmes.