Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas has released N1.39 billion to settle the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) fees for 39,000 students in public secondary schools across the state.
The payment is part of the governor’s ongoing free and compulsory education policy, which seeks to eliminate financial barriers and guarantee access to quality education for every child in Taraba.
Commissioner for Information and Reorientation, Hon. Zainab Jalingo, said the approval covers exactly N1,390,209,350 for the 2026 WAEC examinations for 39,536 students.
This includes payments for CASS offload, administrative charges, practicals, monitoring, sensitisation, remuneration, school albums, registration PINs, and other related examination expenses.
“Following the release of funds for WAEC, the Taraba State Government is also set to settle the examination fees of 38,000 students who will be sitting for the National Examinations Council (NECO) as the next phase of the intervention, further expanding access to external examinations for students across the state,” she said.
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In addition to the WAEC intervention, the Governor has also approved the release of N243,832,615.00 to support food contractors and transporters involved in the state’s Students Exchange Programme.
The approval covers feeding arrangements and transportation logistics for students participating in the programme across schools in the state.
“Out of this amount, N148,565,040.00 is allocated for the feeding of students at Government Comprehensive Secondary School Jalingo and Government Day Secondary School Wukari, while N52,750,490.00 and N42,517,085.00 are earmarked for the transportation of indigenous and non-indigenous students participating in the exchange programme across the 19 northern states,” she added.
“These interventions reflect the administration’s sustained commitment to strengthening the education sector by ensuring that students participate seamlessly in both internal and external academic programmes.
“Through the free education policy, the government continues to expand access to education, improve learning infrastructure, and provide critical support that enables students across the state to pursue their academic aspirations.
“With these interventions, the Taraba State Government remains committed to ensuring that children in the state have no reason to be out of school, as the administration continues to prioritise education as a foundation for sustainable development,” Barr. Jalingo said.
