JUBILATION AS ENUGU EAST MAYOR OFFSETS WAEC AND NECO BILLS FOR ALL SS3 STUDENTS WITHIN THE COUNCIL AREA

…Over 2,000 students to benefit

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In a groundbreaking move, the Mayor of Enugu East Local Government Area, Hon. Pastor Beloved-Dan Anike, has announced that his administration will pay the senior school certificate examination bills for all SS3 students in public schools. This historic declaration was made at the council headquarters, Nkwo Nike, during a special meeting with the principals of public secondary schools in the council area.

The examination bills, which comprise the West African School Certificate Examination (WAEC), the National Examination Council (NECO), and the National Board for Technical Education (NABTEB) examinations, will benefit over 2,400 students. This initiative is part of the mayor’s human capital development plan, which aims to provide equal access to quality education.

Speaking during the meeting, Hon. Beloved-Dan emphasized that his administration is committed to easing the financial burden on parents and guardians, particularly the rural and urban poor. He stated that the exercise is targeting all residents of the local government, both indigenous and non-indigenous SS3 students in public schools.

The mayor also disclosed that his administration is planning to make similar payments for Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exam fees for the students when they are due for that. Additionally, arrangements are being made to pay extra lessons fees for these SS3 students to ensure they are well-prepared for the exams ahead.

Hon. Beloved-Dan commended Governor Peter Mbah’s efforts to improve education in Enugu State, citing the smart green schools being built in every community. He noted that these schools will bridge the inequality of access to quality education and boost confidence in public schools.

“We know education is pivotal to taking people out of poverty and stopping hunger,” Hon. Beloved-Dan said. “If you are educated, you will be prepared to have requisite skills and to make the right decisions to better your life. I’m not saying that certification is enough to get empowered, but beyond the certification, it will enable you to acquire the right skill and turn your skill to business and business to money.”

The council boss emphasized that the initiative has been captured into law and hopes to be sustained as an annual exercise. He explained that the Human Capital Development Bye Law has approved 25 million naira monthly for human capital development, amounting to 300 million annual estimates.

Responding to questions on the categories of students to benefit from this intervention, the mayor explained that the exercise is targeting all residents of the local government, both indigenous and non-indigenous SS3 students in public schools. He stressed that the intention is to ease the troubling load off the shoulders of the rural, urban, and semi-urban poor, noting that the focus is on the social impacts.

Hon. Beloved-Dan also commended the governor of the state, Dr. Peter Mbah, for his efforts to improve education in Enugu State. “The smart green schools in the 260 wards that are being established by our governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, is actually targeted as a measure to provide the opportunity for the poor and to provide more importantly an alternative school to what we call private schools,” he said.

The council boss added that the smart green schools will not only bridge the inequality of access to quality education but also boost confidence in public schools. “In fact, by September 2025, everyone who operates a private school or luxury school in Enugu state will check the indices that make a luxury school, because what the smart school would provide will have high ratings more than those private schools/luxury schools,” he said.

Hon. Beloved-Dan also noted that the initiative will benefit not just the poor but also the middle class. “A whole lot of people who take their children to private schools are overburdened by the load of school fees, ranging from 50-thousand, to 100-thousand and 200-thousand, not to talk of the luxury schools that pay about 500-thousand and above,” he said.

The council boss, flanked by the secretary to the local government, who also doubles as the chairman of the implementation committee, Barr Uchenna Mbeke, reiterated his commitment to sustaining the initiative. “The journey of many miles starts with a step. We have already made funds available for this initiative. We have passed the Human Capital Development Bye Law, that approved 25-million naira monthly for human capital development which amounts to 300-million annual estimates in that regard. So we would be spending around 50-60 million on this which should make it an annual event, hoping that even subsequent chairmen after me would sustain,” he said.

Responding, some of the school principals who were full of joy commended the chairman, Hon. Beloved-Dan, for bringing succour to the less privileged. “My name is Dr. Agada Gregory, the principal of Community Secondary School, Ugwogo Nike. If you look at our faces, you will see that we are so happy about this project which our dear mayor has introduced. It’s going to go a long way to bridging the gap between the rich and the poor, whereby those who have money go to the private schools. This path the mayor is taking, I bet you in the next two years, nobody will be thinking of sending their children to the private schools. This initiative will put an end to the issue of dropout due to lack of funds. We enjoin other local government chairmen to emulate this kind of gesture.”

Mrs. Agbo, from Annunciation Secondary School, Nkwo Nike, also expressed her joy and prayed for the chairman, saying, “We are grateful for having this opportunity to interact with our precious Beloved-Dan, he is a good leader. We really appreciate what is happening today because poverty is a disease. That many of our children don’t go to school is not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t have the money. Now that we have been given this opportunity, only the sky is our limit, and God will strengthen our able chairman to do even more, and I believe everyone will benefit, even the farmers in the villages may now want to enroll in schools. Our dear mayor, we love you, everyone loves you, ride on, May God strengthen you, sir.”