SIR: The recent news of West African Examinations Council (WAEC) threatening to withhold results of 19 states due to inability to pay sponsored candidates registration fees is quite disheartening and worrisome as failure of affected states to do the needful as soon as possible might eventually lead to seizure of results which could serve as deterrent to students applying for admission into higher institutions of learning.
Although, commendable that many state governments subscribed to the free education policy because it has largely relieved the less privileged students and parents of their financial burden and has afforded many indigent students opportunity to sit for exams, it is quite unfortunate that many state governments did not live up to expectation to regularise their payment to the council.
However, Ogun State government led by Senator Ibikunle Amosun who is of the opinion that once education is sorted out, every other thing becomes easy, has set a standard by ensuring that the state is not among the long list of debtors. Little wonder the state government devotes its largest percentage of the annual budget to education being the first of the five cardinal programmes promised the indigenes of Ogun State.
This step is encouraging. Ogun State government has lived up to expectations.
• Temitayo Taylor,
Abeokuta, Ogun State.
