On payment of WAEC fees

The free education programme of the Oyo State government has gone a long way towards bringing more pupils to public primary and secondary schools. Children who had hitherto been out of schools with little or no prospect of having formal education have been enjoying the programme that comes at a time the country is grappling with rising rate of illiteracy and out-of-school children.

The government that considers giving education a right to everyone, has been praised for deeming it fit to have educated citizens. The importance of having more educated citizens cannot be overemphasized. But the decision of the government to exclude payment of exam fees (external ones) is worrisome. The government couldn’t just decide to leave the helpless pupils in the lurch. The Yoruba have a saying that, “agbatan laa gba ole”. Since the government has decided to make education free, it shouldn’t shy away from the responsibility of paying for the exams.

The fact that many of the parents are living in abject penury remains; they struggle to put food on the table for their children, to clothe them, even to shelter them. Parents who couldn’t afford the basic needs of their children will certainly find it difficult, predictably, to pay for external exams. Once a programme is declared free, it should be wholly.

That they would have to pay for the external exams is quite enough, I can say, to push the pupils out of the school. They will be discouraged because the assurance of writing the external exams (WASSCE or SSCE NECO) is not there. Then, what is the essence of the tedious academic work for six years (minimum) with nothing to show for it? The Oyo State government shouldn’t just leave the students to their fate at that critical juncture of their lives. So, the government has to review its plans and policies to cater for the exams.

From another perspective, what benefit would the state government get in having half-baked secondary school leavers? The minimum requirement for any political post in the country is the secondary school certificate. If it is agreed that many a parent in the state is poor, it then means many students won’t be able to write the exams, and as a result of that they won’t have the certificate. The state government’s efforts towards having educated citizens will be mission in futility. The government can, and should, use the external exams to check the effectiveness and efficiency of its policy.

How can it do that if it chooses to shun the students?  Asking the parents or the pupils to shoulder the responsibility of paying for the exams may defeat the objectives of the free education policy of the Oyo State government. Truly, the programmes may be taken for granted. Nevertheless, there are tens of thousands of students within the state who are ready to make the government proud. That they do not pay for the exams may make them to be less serious and not to prepare adequately. But it will be unadvisable to speculate that all students will be in this category.

Timothy Faboade,

Oyo State.