Rivers State Government has said it spent N3billion to register students in public schools for the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE), West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) exams every year.

Governor Nyesom Wike, on assumption of office seven years ago, announced scholarship for students in public primary and secondary schools.

He said his administration would take over the payment of WAEC and NECO examination fees for senior secondary schools as well as the fees for Basic Education Certificate Examination for junior secondary schools.

Education Commissioner Prof. Chinedum Mmon said the three external examinations cost the state government N3billion every year.

He spoke while distributing educational materials worth millions of Naira to secondary schools across the state for improved quality of learning.

Addressing zonal directors, who came to receive the items on behalf of their zones, the commissioner said Wike had been consistent in paying the examination fees for the students since he promised it on assumption of office in 2015, “and he will continue until he leaves office in May.”

Some of the instructional materials distributed to the schools were registers, record diaries, textbooks, marker pens, chalks, among others.

Speaking ahead of the handover of the items to the zonal directors, the commissioner urged them to ensure they distributed the materials to school principals in their zone.

He advised the principals to ensure they put the items into use.

Responding on behalf of the schools, the state Chairman of All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), Ellah Ewoh and his counterpart from the Universal Basic Education, Christiana Nsirim, praised the governor and the commissioner for the donations of the items and promised to utilise them.

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