Kano State Government will sponsor eligible students of public secondary schools who missed this year’s National Examinations Council (NECO) senior secondary school examination to sit for the November/December external examination.
The Permanent Secretary, Kano Educational Resources Department (KERD), Hajiya Rabi’a Inuwa Hussein, disclosed this on Thursday when she received the leadership of the Kano State Accountability Forum on Education (K-SAFE) in her office.
She said KERD had distributed validation forms to principals of public schools through zonal directors to compile the names of students who missed the NECO examination and would require government sponsorship to sit for the November/December examination.
According to her, the department had also developed a strategy to ensure that only qualified candidates benefit from the government’s sponsorship programme.
She explained that the strategy included the biometric capturing of students in their respective schools as a prerequisite for enrolment.
Hajiya Rabi’a warned that, henceforth, students with less than 75 per cent attendance would not be eligible for government sponsorship.
The measure, she said, was intended to strengthen accountability and ensure that government resources were directed towards genuine and qualified candidates.
Earlier, the Co-Chairperson of the Girls Education Partnership (GEP), Dr Mairo Bello, said the delegation visited the Permanent Secretary to congratulate her on her elevation and seek her support in strengthening qualifying examinations in the state.
Dr Bello, who described herself as an advocate of women’s inclusion, expressed delight over the appointment of more women to decision-making positions in Kano State.
In his remarks, the Co-Chairperson of K-SAFE, Dr Auwalu Halilu, commended KERD for introducing biometric data capturing for government-sponsored candidates in their respective schools.
He said the initiative would promote transparency and accountability in the government’s examination sponsorship programme.
Other members of the delegation included K-SAFE Public Relations Officer, Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim; Chairman, School-Based Management Committee (SBMC), Kano State, Tijjani Haladu Baraya; and Hajiya Ladidi Fagge of High Level Women Advocates (HILWA).
