The Osun State Government has said it could no longer bear the burden of the full payment of the West Africa Examination Council fees for students in public schools.
The Deputy Governor, Titi Laoye-Tomori, said this when the House of Assembly Committee on Education paid her a visit in her office in Osogbo on Wednesday.
Laoye-Tomori, who doubled as Commissioner for Education, said the state government would pay half of the WAEC fees, while parents would henceforth pay the remaining.
She said the state government spends over N500 million as WAEC fees for students per annum, adding that it could no longer bear the cost due to lack of fund.
“The state government is yet to complete the payment of 2014 WAEC fees and this is causing delay in the release of the students’ results,” she said.
On promotion for teachers, the deputy governor said it would no longer be automatic, but would be based on performance of students in external examinations.
She also said government would make it compulsory for teachers to teach in the rural areas for one year.
Laoye-Tomori added that those who would be teaching in the rural areas would get better pay than those in the urban area.
On tertiary institutions, she said it was not true that government was planning to merge Colleges of Education and Polytechnics in the state.
The deputy governor, however, said government had put on hold admission into state-owned tertiary institutions for the new session.
She said the one year break was to enable school authorities to improve on their curriculum and programmes.
NAN.
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