This decision, disclosed by the Commissioner for Education, Mrs Idongesit Etiebiet, during an interview in Uyo, the state capital, aims to cater to the needs of 48,797 candidates participating in the exam this year.
Mrs Etiebiet outlined that the allocated funds would cover various expenses including the National Identity Number (NIN) registration fee, biometrics capturing, administrative costs, and 50% of the WASSCE fee.
Notably, the state government’s annual payment for the examination has increased from N1 billion to N1.5 billion due to the rise in sundry charges. The WASSCE fee per candidate has also been adjusted from N18,000 to N27,000.
The initial payment, as stated by Mrs Etiebiet, is to facilitate students’ participation in the examination, with the government expected to settle the remaining balance of over N700 million in due course. She praised the governor’s commitment to students’ welfare amidst prevailing socio-economic challenges and urged students to diligently utilize the investment made by the government in their education.
Reflecting on past efforts, Mrs Etiebiet highlighted that over 10,000 students have benefited from the bursary payment exercise initiated by the state government.
In a similar development, the Akwa Ibom State government has announced an economic development partnership with the Chinese government.
The trade partnership was struck at the Chinese Embassy in Abuja on Friday as revealed by Governor Umo Eno via his X microblog account.
