The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Ondo State, Mrs. Lola Amuda has tasked all principals and heads of public secondary schools in the state to ensure prompt refund of money paid by SS3 students to the West Africa Examination Council, WAEC, for this year’s West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination.
The directive followed the approval of fund by the Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for the payment of the 2020/2021 WAEC fees for all SS3 students in public schools across the state in line with its free education policy.
The Permanent Secretary while meeting with executives of All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools, ANCOPSS, and other stakeholders in the education sector, urged them to ensure prompt refund of the money to the parents and guardians of the students.
While thanking the state Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for his magnanimity especially in this critical era of paucity of fund, the Permanent Secretary said the gesture was borne out of the Governor’s genuine love for the people of the state.
She tasked the school administrators to reciprocate the good gesture of Mr. Governor by putting in their best and ensure that the students perform excellently in the exam.
Mrs. Amuda described the school heads and administrators as the eyes and ears of government in their respective schools, and tasked them on proper implementation of government policies and programmes in schools across the state.
She also enjoined them not to build the students academically alone but to also model their characters and views of the society so that they can grow into responsible adults in the future.
The Permanent Secretary directed the school heads to furnish the ministry with the names of all final year Senior Secondary Students in their schools to know their actual number so that governments would not waste money on those who have gone to enrol in private schools.
The President of All Nigeria conference of Principals of Public Secondary Schools (ANCOPPS in Ondo State, Mr. Johnbull Ajinde Mebawondu thanked the State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for being considerate, and promised that the school heads would abide by the policy of government.
He emphasised that the gesture would relieve the parents and guardians of their financial burden especially in this period when Nigerians are struggling to meet their financial needs.
The state Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu last week approved N360 million for the payment of WAEC enrolment fee for all SS3 students in public secondary schools across the state.
