Education
Kogi Parents Protest Hike in Examination Fees
From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
The agrrieved Parents, under the aegis of Kogi Concerned Parents ( KCP) in the Management of Basic and Senior Secondary Schools in Kogi state have cried out to the State Government to intervene in the prohibitive fees charged by some Schools in the state for the ongoing registration of Basic Education Certificate Examination ( BECE)
Spokesperson of the aggrieved parents, Comrade Idajili Ocholi who in a chat with DAILY ASSET in Lokoja urged the ministry to step up its monitoring mechanism to stop the unscrupulous school owners who charged as high as N,500, N10,000 and N15,000 as fees for the ongoing registration of BECE examination.
Ocholi who described the fees as unacceptable, , noted that the state government may not have beamed its searchlight on the activities of the Shylock School owners, who have been ripping off the parents stressing that , if not checked, they could derail the educational advancement of many students.
He lamented that it was only in Kogi state that private Schools were allowed to charge fees according to their whims and caprices without the government rising to the occasion to protect the interest of the people.
” When you take a cursory look at the ways private Schools charge their fees in the state without recourse to the prevailing economic trend calls for concern. We are pained that the government that would have stood in the defense of the masses might have tacitly given them the nod to charge whatever they want.
” We have surveyed the entire North Central States and compared what they charge for their coordinate Schools Kogi has been adjudged to be against the educational development of the children.
” We have asked the Ministry of Education through our Parents Teachers Association( PTA) to ensure benchmark for the determination of fees charged by the Schools, we were surprised that the ministry charged only #2, 500 for the BECE , unfortunately, many private schools have turned the examination to a money making enterprise as some of them charge as high as N7, 500, N10,000 and more.
” We are ready to stop our children from writing the BECE if the fees are not reversed. The BECE is meant to transit a student from JSS3 to SS1 and we are saying that unless the government prevail on the Schools to revert to the approved fees we are ready to continue with the protest until government step in to rescue us from the hands of our shylock, greedy and money making so called private Schools”, they stated .
Meanwhile, DAILY ASSET investigation at the Ministry of Education in Lokoja, revealed that the total registration fees approved by the ministry for the BECE stands at N3,300 including the margin of benefits for the schools.
According to the information , the floating of 2020 Basic Education Certificate Examination(BECE) which was addressed to the Executive Chairman TSC, Executive Director STEB; Executive Chairman of SUBEB and Chairperson NAPPS had directed each approved school to Charge BECE fees of N2,500 for the registration, N300.00 for the Printing of BECE result and N300,00 for the cost of online registration, while N200.00 for administrative expenses totalling N3,300 per student sitting for BECE in the state.
Meanwhile, the ministry has warned School owners and proprietors to desist from charging any amount outside the stipulated fees vowed to impose appropriate sanctions on the erring Schools.
In his reaction , the State Chairman of Parents Teachers Association, ( PTA) Comrade Paul Jibrin , stated that the ministry of Education always meet all the stakeholders on issue of policy before taken final decisions.
He lamented the attitude of some school owners who haD penchant for defrauding parents who were already weighed down by heavy burden of economic exigencies.
He warned school proprietors to consider the economic situation of parents in fixing their fees and not to shortchange parents by charging exorbitant fees for public examinations outside the state approval.
He warned the erring proprietors to revert to the ministry’s approved fees of N3,300, for BECE as the association will not fold its arms allowing schools to trade with the future of the children.
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has re-scheduled the 2024 National Common Entrance Examination into Federal Unity Colleges and the entrance examination into Federal Government Academy, Suleja.
This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday by Azeez Sani, acting Director, Information and Digital Communication of the council.
Sani stated that the common entrance examination earlier scheduled for April 20, 2024, would now hold on June 1, 2024.
He also said that the entrance examination for Gifted and Talented Children into Federal Government Academy, Suleja, earlier scheduled to hold on May 4,
2024 would now hold on May 25, 2024.
He added that the rescheduling of the two examinations was due to low enrollment of candidates.
He enjoined candidates, parents, guardians, schools and relevant stakeholders to take note of the new dates.
Sani said that registration of candidates would continue till the new dates of the examinations. (NAN)
By Eddy Ochigbo
No fewer than six Nigerian Universities have been selected to benefit from the 15 Intra-Africa Mobility Scheme Projects funded by the European Union (EU) with €27 million under the flagship Youth Mobility for Africa.
Permanent Secretary, of the Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs.
Didi Walson-Jack, who signed the agreement at the Global Gateway High-Level Event on Education in Brussels, said Nigeria would also benefit from the regional Team Europe Initiative on Opportunity-driven Skills, Vocational Education and Training in AfricaUnder the initiative, the European Union would spend €27 million, allocating €1.
8 million to each of the Projects in the education and healthcare sectors in Africa.These Projects, which are to be facilitated by various Universities, aim to enhance learning mobility opportunities for Students, Trainees, and Staff across the Continent, focusing on developing high-level green and digital skills.
The participating Universities include the University of Lagos, the University of Port-Harcourt, Ebonyi State University, the Federal University of Technology, and the University of Nigeria.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the police have warned candidates preparing for the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) against patronising fake websites.
The two bodies gave the warning at a joint news conference in Abuja on Saturday.
The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said there were several fake websites created by unscrupulous individuals with the intention of misleading candidates.
He urged candidates to be wary of their tactics, saying the fake web sites were designed to deceive innocent candidates into providing personal details such as registration numbers, email addresses, and phone numbers.
“Both JAMB and the Nigeria Police Force condemn these fraudulent activities and hereby reiterate the readiness to safeguard the interests of candidates and maintain the integrity of the examination process.
“We urge parents, guardians, and all stakeholders to ensure that candidates print their UTME Notification Slips only from the Board’s approved website: www.jamb.gov.ng.
“Candidates can print their slips from the comfort of their homes or visit any of the over 700 accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide,” he said.
Adejobi explained that the force was familiar with the tactics employed by fraudsters, especially during the annual assessment and admission exercises.
He, therefore, said that both organisations was actively sensitising candidates and the public about these deceptive practices.
“Any candidate who visits these fake sites will definitely have unreliable information and thereby miss out in the forthcoming exams.
“Candidates are advised to print their UTME Notification Slips before Friday, 19th April, 2024, to access vital information about their examinations.
“Any website other than www.jamb.gov.ng offering UTME slip printing services is fake and designed to defraud candidates,” he said.
He also called on candidates to beware of web sites offering ‘live’ questions and answers, as they were false and deceptive, saying that accessing such materials was prohibited.
He further said the board was partnering with the Nigeria Police Force National Cyber Crime Centre (NPF-NCCC) to address online scam-related issues seamlessly.
He assured candidates and the public of the force firm dedication to ensuring a fair and transparent examination process.
He also stressed that the Inspector General of Police had ordered the NPF-NCCC to go after scammers and fraudsters who engage in cyber related crimes and create phishing sites/portals.
On his part, the JAMB spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, pledged the Board’s commitment to continue in playing its role
He, therefore, urged candidates to ignore any unsolicited messages noting that they were from elements who aim at defrauding candidates.
The 2024 UTME is scheduled to commence on Friday, April 19, and end on April 29. (NAN)
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