By Newsmata
The Gombe State Executive Council (SEC) presided over by Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has approved the sum of N580 million for the payment of registration fees for over 20,000 students sitting for various Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) in 2025 across the state.
This was announced by the Commissioner of Information, Culture and Ethical orientation, Mijinyawa Ardo Tilde, when he led other council members for a press briefing after the 45th executive council of the state.
Speaking further on the SSCE payment approval, Education Commissioner, Prof. Aishatu Umar Maigari, noted that the Gombe State Government had consistently funded SSCE payments since 2019 to ease parents’ financial burdens and ensure indigent students completed their secondary education without obstacles.
Prof. Maigari said, “Today, at the council meeting, approval was granted for the payment of registration fees for various Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) for 20,477 students across the state. Out of this number, fees were paid for 18,723 indigent students for WAEC, 110 students under the Exchange Programme Officer, 58 students from Special Schools, 1,368 students for NABTEB, and 219 students from Arabic colleges for NBAIS.
“The total amount approved for this year’s SSCE is N580,870,900. This amount will be shared between the state and local governments. Let me also reemphasise that the payment of SSCE fees has been an annual practice of this administration since 2019 and is aimed at alleviating the financial burden on parents and ensuring that our students across the state have the opportunity to complete their secondary education”.
The commissioner further stated that before Governor Inuwa’s administration came on board, only 23% of students who sat for various SSCE exams obtained five credits, including English and Mathematics, saying with the continuous reforms in the education sector and the increased annual payment of SSCE fees, the number had risen to about 70%.
In a related development, the Education Commissioner announced the Council’s approval of a new sanitation roadmap in schools and healthcare facilities aimed at improving hygiene and environmental standards across the state.
She explained that the roadmap would ensure regular sanitation exercises in public schools and healthcare centres, stating that the initiative will compliment the monthly sanitation exchange being conducted during the last Saturday of every month to enhance a healthier environment.
To ensure adherence to the provisions of the new roadmap by all public institutions, Prof. Maigari announced the Council’s composition of a committee which has the Commissioner of Environment, Water and Forest Resources as Chairman, while Commissioner for Education and the Commissioner of Health are to serve as members with the mandate to ensure increased supervision on the schools and healthcare facilities as well as government offices.
Also in his briefing, the commissioner of Works, Housing and Transport, Usman Maijama Kallamu, an engineer, announced the council’s approval of N530,770,128 for the procurement of furniture for the newly completed Sharia Court of Appeal in the state in order to immediately put the edifice into use.