N4.7bn for ECOWAS Biometric Cards
Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Executive Council (FEC), presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has approved the lash of the cost of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) application forms from N5,000 to N3,500 from January 2019.
The FEC also announced the cost reduction of Senior Secondary Certificate handled by National Examination Council (NECO) from 11,350 to N9,850 and Basic Education Certificate handled by NECO, reduced from N5,500 to N4,000.
The House of Representatives had, in May, urged the Federal Ministry of Education to slash the cost of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) application forms.
The call had followed JAMB’s announcement that it remitted N7.8 billion to the federal government as proceeds from sales of Unified Tertiary Examinations (UTME) application forms in 2017.
The lawmakers had accused JAMB of becoming a “revenue generating agency”.
The Education Minister Adamu Adamu, who briefed State House Correspondents at the end of the three hours meeting on the memo he presented on the reduction of fees for JAMB, Senior Secondary and Basic Education Certificate Examinations, said the reduction followed the pleas from parents.
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He said, “Since the new administration came into office and a change in management and prudent management by JAMB, we have been able to see that most of what have been charged doesn’t have to be because a lot of it have been siphoned by corrupt officials.
“So, in answer to yearnings my parents, Mr. President directed that we should look into the possibility of reducing the charges.
“So, accordingly, from January 2019, JAMB fees will be from N5,000 to N3,500 for the UTME, Senior Secondary Certificate charged by National Examination Council (NECO) from 11,350 to N9,850 and Basic Education Certificate handled by NECO is reduced from N5,500 to N4,000.”
The council also approved 11 ecological interventions projects for N9.6 billion in Lagos, Oyo, Ondo, Cross River, Adamawa, Bauchi, Jigawa, ABU Zaria, Kaduna and Abuja
It also approved N4.7 billion for ECOWAS Biometric Cards to replace the current ECOWAS travels Certificate
Details later…