The Kogi government, on Saturday, said that it had concluded plans to make payment of external and internal examination fees free as a policy for subsequent administrations in the state.

The state’s commissioner for education, science and technology, Wemi Jones, said this at a meeting of the national executive committee of the North Central Confederation of All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) in Lokoja.

The Kogi government had, in November 2023, pronounced free education for students from primary to secondary school.

An integral part of the policy was the payment of internal and external exam fees for students by the state government.

Mr Jones said that the law, when passed and assented to, would make it mandatory for the Kogi government to pay both internal and external examination fees for students in public schools in the state.

He thanked the state’s ANCOPSS for its cooperation in the execution of the state government’s policies aimed at delivering quality education to the citizens of Kogi.

Mr Jones noted that all the successes recorded in the education sector would not have been possible without the commitment of Governor Yahaya Bello, describing him as a Messiah sent by God to revive education in Kogi.

He said that education, as a catalyst for societal development, had been given the attention it deserved by the governor

The commissioner emphasised that the government’s plan was to raise globally competitive students in all fields.

He explained that the establishment of Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara, and Kogi State University, KSU Kabba, was to train students in science and technology.

According to him, the establishment of the institutions is also to provide opportunities for Kogi students to have access to university education.

“To benefit from the natural resources that abound in the state, the government is focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

“The GYB Model Science Secondary Schools being built across the state were meant to train students to face challenges ahead,” he said.

On his part, the North-Central chairman of ANCOPSS, Christopher Ogiri, commended the Kogi government for its giant strides in education, especially in secondary and tertiary schools.

“The ANCOPSS, as an advisory body, will continue to advise the government on how best to run secondary education, which is a bridge between primary and tertiary education,” he said.

The state president of ANCOPSS, Suberu Omanayi, congratulated the government for the successes recorded in education.

Mr Omanayi commended the commissioner for his doggedness and commitment to transforming and restoring the glory of education in the state.

(NAN)