NANS reacts to FG’s reduction of JAMB, NECO fees, speaks on ASUU strike

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), on Thursday,
applauded the Federal Government for reducing the cost of JAMB and
NECO application forms.

DAILY POST reports that the Federal Government, after the Federal
Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, announced the reduction in
JAMB fee from N5,000 to N3,500 for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation
Examination (UTME).

The amount charged for Senior Secondary Certificate Examination by the
National Examination Council (NECO) was also reduced from 11,350 to
N9,850 and Basic Education Certificate handled by NECO was slashed
from N5,500 to N4,000.

The reductions take effect from January, 2019.

NANS' National Public Relations Officer, Mr Bestman Okereafor, while
reacting in a statement issued in Enugu on Thursday, commended the
decision, NAN reports.

Okereafor, however, urged the Federal Government to prioritise the
issue of education, and especially the ongoing ASUU/COEASU strike.

According to him, the strike has truncated the chances of "some of our
compatriots graduating in 2018, simply because the academic calendar
has been altered".

The statement continued: "NANS considers this decision as a good and
progressive minded one, but strongly believes that resolving the
ongoing ASUU/COEASU strikes would be better.

"We are of the opinion that schools must be made conducive for all
students on campuses as it was in the days of old.

"The Presidency must consider making our campuses a conducive
atmosphere for learning and research purposes.

"It is highly disheartening that we have lost quite a handful of
young, hardworking and promising Nigerian students to the cold hands
of death due to the ongoing strike.

"Even as some of our students are now been exposed to various crimes,
and drugs. For an idle hand they say is the devil's workshop.''

Okereafor, however, appealed to the leadership of ASUU not to
frustrate the process of negotiation with the Federal Government,
rather consider suspending the strike in the best interest of all
concerned.