Tag: NAPTAN

Stakeholders have called on defaulting state governments to pay up the examination fees of the pupils they registered. According to the stakeholders, the payment of such fees will cover the operational costs of examination bodies, including materials, staff and logistics required to conduct exams. These fees, they argue, are essential for the smooth-running and delivery of the examinations. They asserted that such attitude was encouraging out-of-school menace and aides the recruitment of militants, Assistant Editor BOLA OLAJUWON reports

Imperative of inclusive education

State governments’ involvement in paying for examinations being organised by the National Examinations Council (NECO), West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and Qur’anic bodies, especially in the North, was informed by the initiatives of the second tier of government on inclusive education. This was aimed at providing equal learning opportunities for all students, valuing their unique backgrounds, and fostering a sense of community and collaboration. Its significance also lies in developing essential life skills, reducing stigma, promoting academic growth for diverse learners, and building more resilient, prosperous, and equitable societies.  The plan of states to tackle out-of-school children’s menace affecting about 20 million of school age children also informed the need to pay their school and examinations fees.

It is also meant to create equal opportunities and access to all pupils, regardless of their abilities, gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic background, to get the same chance to learn and develop the skills needed to thrive.

This is in line with United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) policy, which considers education a fundamental human right, a public good, and a key driver of peace and sustainable development. UNESCO is the only United Nations agency with a mandate to cover all aspects of education, from early childhood to higher education and beyond. Its global efforts are anchored in the Education 2030 Agenda, specifically Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), which seeks to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning for all.

It is also in line with United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund’s (UNICEF’s) work on education, which focuses on ensuring every child has access to quality learning, with an emphasis on addressing the needs of the most marginalised and vulnerable children. This includes working on access to equitable and inclusive education, improving learning quality, and providing support during emergencies, especially on the need to address gender disparities and improve access for girls in schools.

States recurring default in paying exam fees of registered candidates

But, such educational initiative of paying fees for examinations for pupils becomes a problem for the candidates as such state governments defaulted by owing the examination bodies billions for many years thereby truncating the future of the candidates to embark on acquisition of more knowledge, skills, and values to build a more sustainable future.

In a media report on February 17, 2023, the NECO Registrar, Prof. Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, stated that seven northern states collectively owed NECO over N2 billion in unpaid examination fees. The debt was reportedly reduced from over N3 billion through the efforts of some state governors. This debt, which is used to pay examiners and acquire materials, affects the council’s ability to conduct examinations smoothly.

The registrar made this known while announcing the 2022 External Senior School Certificate Examination at the council’s headquarters in Minna, Niger State. He said the debt was affecting the council in the conduct of examination as it relied on what it generated from the payment of examination fees to pay its examiners.

Also, WAEC had in the past raised concerns about state governments defaulting on payments for candidates in public schools. In 2023, eight states reportedly owed the examination council. Zamfara and Niger were identified as the biggest debtors.

Zamfara State, under former Governor Bello Matawalle, reportedly owed WAEC about N1.6 billion, a figure later confirmed by the current administration. In an interview, Governor Dauda Lawal’s spokesperson, Mustapha Kaura, said the debt was inherited from two previous administrations.

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Kaura said the state intended to pay the debt either in full or in installments once the governor secured approval from the state executive council. In May 2025, the Zamfara government announced it had paid N1.4 billion to clear the debts it owed to WAEC from 2018 to 2022.

 “The swift payment of the outstanding debt to WAEC and NECO has relieved the stranded Zamfara students, who completed their final exams, but could not proceed in their education due to the examination bodies withholding their results,” a statement published on the state government’s website said.

“For the West African Examination Council (WAEC), Governor Dauda Lawal has paid the outstanding bill of one billion, four hundred million naira that the previous administrations owed from 2018 to 2022.”

In 2021, a report identified six states as owing NECO N1.8 billion. They were Adamawa, Borno, Gombe, Kano, Niger, and Zamfara.

As expected, WAEC and NECO usually withhold results for state-sponsored students when the respective state governments fail to pay the registration fees. This is a recurring issue that affects thousands of students across the country.

Zamfara pays N3.7b exams debt, students’ withheld results released

Few days ago, the Zamfara State Government announced that it had settled accumulated debts owed examination bodies leading to the release of withheld students’ results. Briefing journalists on this development, the state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Malam Wadato Madawaki, said this had ended nearly a decade of non-release of student’s results.

He said the milestone was one of the gains of Governor Lawal’s declaration of a state of emergency on education in November 2023. Madawaki explained that, when they assumed office, they met a chaotic situation where public school pupils, who sat for WAEC and NECO examinations between 2015 and 2023, could not access their results.

He alleged that previous administrations of Zamfara State failed to pay their examination fees. According to him, Zamfara owed WAEC N1.4 billion for the period 2019 to 2023, while NECO was owed N1.3 billion for examinations conducted between 2019 and 2022.

Madawaki said a backlog of N1.022 billion covering 2015 to 2018 NECO exams was also settled by the present administration. He noted that due to the debts, Zamfara public schools were initially barred from writing NECO examinations in 2022 and 2023, but following Governor Lawal’s intervention, NECO shifted the 2023 exams by two weeks to allow pupils from the state to participate.

“With the governor’s approval, all outstanding payments have now been made. WAEC has released all withheld results up to 2024, while NECO has cleared results from 2015 to 2022,″ he said.

Stakeholders urge timely payment of exams fees

While the move by the governor was aimed at securing the future of many pupils, many of whom could not collect their higher institution certificates because their secondary school results were withheld, stakeholders have called on concerned state governments still defaulting to pay the examination bodies.

Reacting on the issue in an interview with The Nation, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo said it was unfortunate that state governments are not paying for the NECO and WAEC examinations of their students after they must have sat for the examinations.  According to him, it means that any state government that has not paid the examination fees is only paying lip service to education.

Ogunbanjo said: “WAEC and NECO have honoured you. They have agreed that the pupils should write the exams on credit.  You didn’t pay in advance; whereas individuals will pay in advance.

“But these organisations will trust the state governments and they allow the students to write the exams. I’m sorry to say that any state government that has refused to pay the examination fees of their students is only paying lip service to education. The states should not be taken seriously as having anything to do with the upbringing and education of their students.

“They are saying that they want to encourage education for all.  But, their attitude is absurd, condemnable and really very bad.

“The implication is that for the case of Zamfara State that owed to the tune of five to 10 years, we don’t know what the students will be doing. That means the time they would have graduated, they would be waiting for examination results.

“So, that is why I said they are only paying lip service to education of their states’ students. They should stop that and then be serious with education for once.  And that is why these people have been encouraged to join Boko Haram to become bandits. It’s rather unfortunate.  And they should stop it.”

The Founder/CEO IA-Foundation, Ibironke Adeagbo, in an interview with Nation, said education is not a privilege. It is a fundamental right guaranteed to every child, regardless of gender, background, or circumstances, Adeagbo said.

“When states fail to pay examination bodies, they punish the children they are meant to support. The consequences of such actions by some states have shattered many dreams, interrupted learning, caused emotional distress, and increased the dropout rate among young people.

“As an organisation committed to addressing the out-of-school children crisis in Nigeria, we urge all indebted states to take urgent action by clearing their debts to WAEC and NECO without further delays.

Zamfara’s recent efforts to settle its debts, which have spanned five to 10 years, are highly commendable. This should motivate and encourage all other indebted states to do the same, in order to fulfill their constitutional obligations and moral responsibilities to ensure that no child is denied access to education.

Ronke Oyelakin Odukoya, a child rights activist and the current Executive Director of the Bimbo Odukoya Foundation (BOF) in Lagos, Nigeria, submitted that it was sad that this was happening in the nation’s education system.

Odukoya, who also serves as the Executive Coordinator for BOF and a Public Relations Officer for the Association of Orphanage and Home Operators in Nigeria (ASOHON), said: “So as a child protection network, an initiative of UNICEF, my message is to encourage states to clear these debts for the benefit of students’ future prospects and uphold their right to education as enshrined in the constitution – ‘the right to development’. The implication of unpaid debts is that students’ results remain withheld, hindering their academic and career progression, as seen in the case of Zamfara, which recently settled its debt to resolve withheld results.

“If we should analyse the impact of these debts on children and young people, re-emphasising their right to education, it is imperative and a wakeup call for “timely payment”.  CPN urges the governments through the states to fulfill their financial obligations to examination bodies to ensure students can access their full results and continue their education.

“Importance of education cannot be over-emphasised knowing that education is a crucial pathway for personal development and societal progress, and withheld results act as a significant barrier to this.

“The ripple effect of this unpaid debt can mar the futures of these children and impact on future opportunities as it can also prevent students from sitting for future examinations, thus creating a long-term negative impact on their ability to pursue further education or employment.

“The children could also loose trust in the state government and the examination bodies.

“Lastly, the delay in paying the examination fees may make students to lose interest in education and could lead many to engaging in some social vices; and an idle mind is indeed the devils workshop.

“Some of the affected students may be compelled to abandon schools and engage in menial jobs, especially in any financial earnings pending the release of their results.

“As a child advocate, knowing the importance of education to any child’s development, I want to implore the government and other actors to ensure that these unpaid fees are cleared and our children can further their education and in return, be an impactful members of the society and the country at large.”

Stakeholders in the education sector, such as National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), unions, parents and non-governmental organisations have praised Edo, Benue, Ondo and Imo states for banning graduation parties for nursery and junior secondary school pupils in a bid to reduce the financial burden on parents and promote stability in the education system. But, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools in Nigeria (NAPPS Nigeria), however, declares that the events are symbolic and adds psychological value to the child, VICTORIA AMADI reports

Mrs. Blessing Okoro, a single mother of three and a graduate of Linguistics from one of the prestigious universities in the country, has always nurtured the idea of giving her kids the best of education, regardless of what it may cost. Mrs. Okoro, to bring her dream to fruition, enrolled her three kids in a private school, where she’s also a language teacher, for close monitoring and to ease the burden of school run.

What bothers her more about hers kids’ education is the expenses the school charges aside from termly school fees. She bemoaned the fact that none of her younger kids could make use of their elderly siblings’ textbooks, thus subjecting her to buying different textbooks every session for each of her kids. She was pained that none of the textbooks could be reused because of the workbooks contained in them. She was also worried about expenses that trail their graduation from Nursery 2 to Basic 1 and from Basic 5 or 6 to Secondary Schools and charges concerning “Aso Ebi” (graduation uniform dresses) even for parents.  Last term, she said her total payment for graduation was N300,000.

Another parent, Mr. Francis Adefemi, told The Nation that he coughed out N450,000 for his son’s and wife’s graduation “Aso Ebi” last session.

When the news by Mrs. Okoro’s state’s governor came, allowing the reuse of textbooks and banning the graduation of any other class, except Basic 6, and Senior Secondary 3, she sighed with a sense of relief, because part of her worries has been taken off her shoulder. “I feel relieved honestly. Now, I can channel my worries to just school fees and their daily feeding.” She smiled while expressing gratitude for the recent news.

Adefemi said he wished the Lagos State Government and other Southwest states can as well borrow a leaf from the action of the three states, which banned “unbridled graduations”.

For a father of five, Mr. Ahmed Nurudeen, this recent educational policy would help curtail unnecessary charges by schools for social activities, showmanship, and undue financial pressure on parents.

“I am glad this is coming at a time I’m tempted to give up on the continuation of my kids’ education. The present condition of things in the country is not funny with some school owners worsening the situation, rather than helping parents,” he said.

 Imo, Edo, Ondo, Benue adopt policy on school graduation, others

Their reactions came after the Edo, Benue, Ondo and Imo states governments recently banned graduation parties for kindergarten, nursery and junior secondary school pupils, allowing graduation only for completion of Basic Education (Primary 6) and Senior Secondary 3 (SSS 3) levels.

 The bans, effective from the 2025/2026 academic session, aims to reduce financial burdens on parents, promote stability in the education system and introduce mandatory skills’ training and textbooks’ reuse policies.

Imo State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Bernard Ikegwuoha, in a memo dated August 15, 2025, announced that only Basic 6 and Senior Secondary School (SSS 3) pupils are allowed to hold graduation ceremonies in line with Nigeria’s 6-3-3-4 education system.

According to the memo, the policy aims to ensure that students, parents, guardians, stakeholders and schools focus on the academic achievements of pupils at the end of their primary and secondary education cycle.

“The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is committed to providing quality and functional education to all students. Henceforth, graduation ceremonies and parties for Kindergarten, Nursery, and JSS 3 students are hereby abolished,” the memo read.

The memo also ordered the ban on annual change of textbooks, directing that approved textbooks be used for a minimum of four years. This would allow siblings to reuse books, ease financial strain on families, and promote consistency in teaching.

Similarly, the Edo State  Government in a statement by the Commissioner for Education, Dr. Paddy Iyamu, placed a ban on graduation ceremonies in nursery and primary schools, saying only those who have completed basic education and Senior Secondary School Education are allowed to hold modest graduation.

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He also permitted the reuse of textbooks by siblings as long as they are still listed as approved textbooks and mandatory entrepreneurship skills training for all JSS3 students in the state.

Likewise, Benue State Government, through the office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Knowledge Management, Helen Zeramo, abolished the use of restricted customised educational materials such as text and exercise books that are non-transferable to subsequent learners in schools in the state.

The Benue State’s new directive also abolished compulsory extended lessons after regular school hours, except where parents provide explicit consent.

Ondo State also announced ban on graduation ceremony yesterday.

NAPTAN lauds the policy

Reacting over the issue, Chairman, Board of Trustees, National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, condemned the extortion of parents by school owners using pupil’s graduation as a means. He described it as an abuse of the educational administrative privileges granted to schools. He also noted that graduations should  only be for tertiary institutions.

Ogunbanjo further noted that graduations should be the choice of the students graduating into tertiary institutions, not the school authority mandating a bill to be paid by parents.

“We are saying no to this practice and it should be stopped henceforth. Sincerely, I don’t know why some schools are graduating some set of pupils. This is common in private schools. Government schools won’t tolerate this practice.

“It is something that has to be discouraged. In some private schools, they pay so much for graduation. It is an abuse of educational administration. The word graduation has been so abused,” he said.

IA-Foundation lauds policy

Founder of IA-Foundation, Ibironke Adeagbo, lauded the policy, noting that the introduction of mandatory skills training is particularly significant, as it prepares students for practical life beyond their academic studies. He added that the textbook reuse policy promotes sustainability and makes learning materials more affordable and accessible.

Adeagbo further noted that overall, it reflects a thoughtful balance between celebrating progress, minimising excesses and prioritising long-term educational value.

The Tutor General/Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Education District IV, Mr. Olusegun Osinaike, said: “Without mincing words, it is a right move in the right direction. It shows that somebody out there is putting on a right thinking hat. I will urge all state governments to move in the same direction.”

Three states’ action reduced financial burdens, says Kwaru

President, Coalition of Non-State Schools in Nigeria, Dr. Saleh Adamu Kwaru, reiterated that the three states’ action reduced financial burdens, promoted educational stability and encouraged textbook reuse. He declared that the steps taken were commendable and reflected a desire to reform the system for the better.

However, he cautioned that such blanket bans may inadvertently overlook the cultural, emotional, and developmental significance of these ceremonies.

Going further, Kwaru noted that graduation events, when modestly organised, serve as important rites of passage for young learners, adding that they foster a sense of achievement, boost self-esteem, and encourage parental involvement in the educational journey. Hence, eliminating these moments entirely, risks diminishing the joy and motivation that often accompany academic milestones.

AFED commends states

The President of the Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED), Emmanuel Orji Kanu, praised the states for the directives. However, he said it is worth noting that the nation has a Non-State Schools Policy that outlines rules and government responsibilities towards these schools.

Orji stressed that rather than just regulating them, governors should also consider supporting these schools, many of which are struggling financially. He added that the financial challenges faced by many schools, leading to their shutdowns, underscored the need for government’s support. He added that by working together, governments and private schools can ensure that students receive quality education without undue financial burdens on parents or schools.

“The policy acknowledges the importance of private schools in the education sector, and governments should work to create an enabling environment for them to thrive.

“I agree with the decision for two main reasons: reducing financial burdens on parents and refocusing attention on academics, which has been compromised by excessive emphasis on social life. However, I also recognise that some schools, particularly those that only offer preschool or nursery education, may find value in marking the end of a significant phase with a ceremony.”

NAPPS:  graduation ceremonies are symbolic

But, the National President, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools in Nigeria (NAPPS Nigeria), Chief Yomi Otubela, asserted that graduation ceremonies at the early years’ level go beyond being mere social events. They hold symbolic and psychological value for the child, the parents, and the school community. For the child, they reinforce a sense of achievement, boost confidence and nurture the motivation to aspire to higher levels of learning. For parents, such events provide a moment to celebrate milestones in their child’s educational journey. For schools, they help to foster a culture of recognition, encouragement and motivation.

Otubela also noted that while the philosophy is commendable, the ceremonies should be modest, purposeful, and child-centred, adding that once they become overly elaborate or financially demanding on parents, they lose their true essence.

Admitting that many parents today grew up with reusable textbooks that could easily be passed down to younger siblings, a concern, he described as valid, especially in the present economic reality where many families face financial pressures. NAPPS Nigeria president, however, noted that the allegation of exploitation, or claims of collusion between schools and publisher, is an issue that understandably troubles parents.

“I wish to state clearly that NAPPS does not support or encourage any form of exploitation. Our mission is to provide quality education at a cost that is both affordable and sustainable. Where any school or publisher is found to be taking undue advantage of parents, such matters are treated with utmost seriousness.

The National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), has hailed the shutting down of 22 illegal Colleges of Education by the Federal Government, described it a timely and necessary step to safeguard students.

Mr Adeolu Ogunbanjo, Chairman, Board of Trustees, of NAPTAN made the remark as part of reaction on the development in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu had recently urged the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) to weed out illegal higher institutions.

The NCCE had uncovered and shutdown 22 illegal Colleges of Education, operating across the country, following the directions by the Federal Government.

Ogunbanjo declared that the educational audits must continue, saying that children and parents must not keep wasting resources on illegal, unaccredited and fraudulent institutions.

According to him, it’s a good development in the right direction, timely and necessary which will go a long way in safeguarding students and sanitise the education sector.

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 “A lot of people may wonder why and the number ’22’ but what is the use of attending unaccredited schools or institutions that are not approved by NUC or NBTE, no, it is totally unacceptable.

“It constitutes a waste of time, waste of money for parents and a waste of effort for students whose certificates will eventually not be recognised.

“Imagine graduating and realising that the institution you attended is unrecognised, it will be frustrating, and it is going to be a tough one for many unsuspecting students.

The NAPTAN official declared that closing the identified institutions was the right step, the right direction, saying it’s a measure that the government must continue to prevent.

He noted that the regulatory bodies did well in discovering the illegality, added that the effort is commendable, adding “this development should send warning signal to private and public institutions without proper accreditation.”