House Rejects Motion for Lawmakers to pay WAEC, NECO, JAMB Fees for Public School Students

The he House of Representatives has rejected a proposal to encourage its members to support at least one public school in their local areas by covering the registration fees for students taking exams conducted by the West African Examination Council (WAEC), the National Examination Council (NECO), and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in public schools.

The disagreement began when Anamero Dekeri, a member representing Etsako Federal Constituency in Edo State, introduced a motion calling for JAMB, WAEC, and NECO to provide free registration for students in the 2023-2024 examination cycle. 

Dekeri’s rationale was to assist economically disadvantaged parents who struggle to fund their children’s education, even in public schools due to the country’s challenging economic conditions.

Dekeri emphasized, “One of the major challenges for low-income parents is paying examination fees,” and he urged his fellow legislators to persuade the Ministry of Education to waive registration fees for the 2023 and 2024 WAEC, NECO and JAMB exams, enabling ordinary citizens to benefit from fuel subsidy removal palliatives.

He further called upon the Minister of Finance, Budget, Economic and Financial Planning to develop a comprehensive framework that would provide a sense of inclusion for Nigeria’s poor population.

House Leader, Julius Ihonvbere, supported Dekeri’s motion by proposing an amendment that urged members of the House to personally adopt one public secondary school, particularly the one they attended, and cover the students’ examination fees as part of their corporate social responsibility.

In response, Hassan Doguwa, representing Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency in Kano State, commended the motion but cautioned against mandating lawmakers to pay these examination fees, as many were already engaged in similar initiatives within their constituencies.

Awaji-Inombek Abiante, a member representing Andoni/Opobo Nkoro in Rivers State, expressed concerns about the term “compel” in the motion’s title, stating that the House lacked constitutional authority to mandate examination bodies to provide free registration.

When the motion went to a vote during Wednesday’s plenary session, the majority of lawmakers voted to set it aside, and House Speaker Abbas Tajudeen concluded the matter with a gavel strike as the “nays” prevailed.