The Zamfara government has paid over N3 billion outstanding Senior Secondary Schools Examination (SSCE) fees left by the previous administration in the state.

The State Commissioner for Science and Technical Education, Wadatau Madawaki, disclosed this to reporters in Gusau on Tuesday.

“This is one of the greatest achievements recorded by Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration in the education sector within one year.

“You know, education is number two among the priority agenda of the present administration, considering the fact that education is the bedrock for the development of every society,” he said.

Mr Madawaki said it was sad that the state’s students finished secondary school without good results due to the debts owed by the previous administration.

“This is simply because the past administration failed to pay outstanding Senior Secondary Schools Examination fees.

“The state owes the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and National Examination Council (NECO) over N3 billion.

“This affected the enrolment of our children in tertiary institutions across the country for the past three years, but within one year in office, this administration has paid all the outstanding to the examination bodies, amounting to over N3 billion,” the commissioner said.

Mr Madawaki said the students had secured their results, which had been withheld for the past three years, and had enrolled in various tertiary institutions nationwide.

He added that the present administration had also embarked on addressing other challenges affecting the education sector in the state.

“We are working, day and night to address various challenges in the education sector in the state,” he explained.

Specifically, he said the governor was addressing challenges such as infrastructure decay, the non-availability of teaching and learning materials in schools, inadequate libraries and laboratories, and inadequately qualified teachers.

“We have since embarked on the total renovation of 325 schools across the state, and we are going to construct and renovate laboratories, across schools in the state,” he added.

(NAN)