The ondo state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu has ordered all school principals to immediately refund 2021 West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) fee to students who have paid.
Lola Amuda, permanent secretary, ministry of education, science and technology under Akeredolu administration issued the directive to principals and heads of public secondary schools in Akure.
She spoke at a meeting with the state’s executive members of the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) and other stakeholders in the education sector.
DAILY GIST gathered that the directive is coming a week after Governor Rotimi Akeredolu approved N360 million for WASSCE enrolment for 25,736 students in public secondary schools in the state.
The approval was in line with the free education policy of the state government.
Amuda tasked the schools’ administrators to reciprocate the government’s good gesture by putting in their best and ensuring that the students performed excellently at the examination.
She described the principals as “the eyes and ears of government’’ in their schools and tasked them with proper implementation of the government’s policies and programmes in schools across the state.
She enjoined them to build the students academically as well as mould their characters and influence their views of the society positively so that they could grow into responsible adults.
The permanent secretary directed the principals to furnish the ministry with the names of all final year senior secondary students in their schools to establish their actual number.
On his part, Johnbull Mebawondu, the state president of ANCOPPS, thanked the government for being considerate and promised that the principals would abide by the government’s policy.
Mebawondu also stressed that the government’s gesture would relieve parents and guardians of the financial burden associated with WASSCE.
