Mixed reactions have trailed the federal government’s review of fees for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), and Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
Some stakeholders commended the gesture and urged the government to overhaul the education
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved the downward review of the examination registration fees which will take effect from January 2019.
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who announced the reduction after the FEC’s meeting said the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) fees for UTME had been reduced from N5,000 to N3,500.
Adamu said government also reduced the SSCE fees charged by the National Examinations Council (NECO) from N11,350 to N9,850 while the Basic School Certificate Examination (BSCE) by NECO was reduced from N5,500 to N4,000.
An entrepreneur, Sunday Ukachukwu, described the action as a `good step’ in the right direction.
“I give the federal government credit for the downward review, but I think they can still do better because the reduction is not so significant.
“If they reviewed the fees by 50 per cent, the reduction would have been significant, but what you have is 13 per cent reduction,’’ he said.
A public affairs analyst, Ben Ekiyi, commended government for the reduction saying that it would ensure inclusiveness among other things.
“It is a good thing because any reductions in prices of goods or services always make the masses happy, especially in these times where many people are facing a lot of hardship.
“I feel this reduction will ensure inclusiveness as more students will now be able to write these examinations.
“Since more students will now be able to write the examinations, hidden potentials will be exposed, because we have some intelligent students who have not been able to afford the examination fees,’’ he
said.
A parent, Lelo Apena, said the reduction of fees was a diversion from the real issues plaguing the education sector, such as poor quality of education, dilapidated infrastructure and out- of- school children.
According to her, this kind of reduction does not make any sense as N1,500 difference will not solve the problems bedevilling the education in Nigeria.
