The Kano State Government says it has earmarked N2.9 billion for the payment of the National Examinations Council (NECO) and the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS) examination fees for 119,903 indigent students.
Kano State Commissioner for Education Umar Doguwa disclosed this at a press conference in Kano on Thursday, June 6, 2024.
Doguwa said the students passed the 2024 Qualifying Examination.
He said Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf approved payment of the examination fees for students who passed four subjects in the qualifying examination.
The commissioner noted that the beneficiaries comprise 109,891 students, representing 83 per cent for NECO and 10,012 representing 97.24 per cent for the NBAIS examination.
Doguwa disclosed that N2.6 billion would be spent on NECO candidates and N248 million for those writing NBAIS examinations.
The gesture, he said, would assist indigent students to sit for the examinations and further their education.
“In our effort to ensure that our students get admission to higher institutions, Abba Kabir Yusuf-led administration paid NECO and NBAIS for the 2021, 2022, and 2023 registration fees inherited from the previous government,” the commissioner said.
While reiterating the commitment to uplifting the standards of education, Duguwa sought support for government’s programmes to address challenges bedevilling the education sector in Kano State.