….Warns against exploitation
By Peter Duru
The Benue State Government, through the Education Quality Assurance and Examinations Board, BEQAE, has directed Jewel Model School, Makurdi, to immediately reverse the N106,000 being charged to parents for the registration of West African Examination Council, WAEC, and National Examinations Council, NECO, describing the levy as excessive and unjustifiable.
The directive followed a series of petitions from aggrieved parents who accused the school of imposing arbitrary examination fees.
Acting on the complaints, the Board summoned the school’s proprietor, principal and members of the Parents-Teachers Association, PTA executive to a meeting in Makurdi where they reportedly failed to justify the amount being demanded.
Speaking during the engagement, the Executive Secretary of BEQAEB, Dr. Terna Francis, clarified that the officially approved fee for WAEC registration was N28,000, while NECO was yet to announce its charges for the 2026 examinations.
“Schools are only permitted to collect officially approved examination fees, with a handling charge not exceeding N5,000 per examination,” Francis stated.
He further stressed that candidates were not mandated to register for both WAEC and NECO, noting that such decisions should be left to parents and students.
“Registration for WAEC and NECO is optional, not compulsory. Any additional costs must be transparently discussed and mutually agreed upon by parents, not imposed without consultation,” he added.
Francis also expressed concern over reports that parents at the school had been denied platforms to air their views, alleging that PTA meetings had not held for nearly two years and that parents were restricted from commenting on the school’s WhatsApp communication platform.
He equally condemned the practice of routing school and examination payments through the proprietor’s personal bank account, describing it as a breach of accountability and transparency.
“Such practices undermine proper auditing and are unacceptable in a regulated educational ystem,” he said.
Francis consequently, directed the Director of Enforcement and Compliance Operations, Rev. Fr. Dr. Terungwa Tor, to place the school under close monitoring to ensure full compliance with the Board’s directives.
Warning against the exploitation of parents, Francis noted that schools found imposing undue financial burdens on learners risk severe sanctions, including the withdrawal of their operating licenses.
“These exploitative practices only worsen the problem of out-of-school children, which the government is determined to address,” he stated.
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