Benue govt orders refund of excess WAEC/NECO ‘tampering’ charges

The Benue State Education Quality Assurance Agency (BSEQAA) has directed school principals in the state to immediately refund excess WAEC/NECO handling charges levied on senior secondary school final year students ( SS3).

The agency’s director-general Francis Terna gave the directive on Thursday when he visited some schools in Makurdi, the state capital.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr. Terna had recruited some SS3 students in the schools visited to determine how much they paid as WAEC and NECO examination fees.

Having ascertained the facts, he ordered the principals to refund the excess charges to the students without delay.

He further ordered all schools to strictly comply with the approved handling charges of N5000 per student.

He also advised school authorities to desist from such harsh practices, adding that non-compliance with the government directive would be met with appropriate sanctions.

Terna said the state government was fully committed to maintaining high standards and ensuring academic excellence.

According to him, the agency will continue its random visits to schools to monitor their operations.

He reiterated the government’s directive that no SS3 student should be admitted during the second term to avoid disturbing the academic calendar.

NAN further reports that the BSEQAA boss also inspected the mastery records, schemes and work log as well as lesson plans.

The schools visited included RCM Primary School, Tiosha, UBE Secondary School, Naka Road, NKST Secondary School, Naka Road and Mount Carmel College, Makurdi. (YAYA)