The Cross River State Executive Council has approved the payment of WAEC fees for 16,301 indigenes of public schools in the state.
The State Government will be offsetting the payment with N440, 127, 000 (Four Hundred and Forty Million, One Hundred and Twenty-seven Thousand Naira) being for students writing the Senior Secondary School Certificate.
The State Governor, Bassey Otu said the present economic situation characterized by high cost of living required some palliative measures in the education sector to ameliorate the hardship of parents in meeting the educational responsibilities of their children and wards.
The Governor warned against any untoward practice such as padding by school authorities of the list of beneficiaries.
It will be recalled that pupils and students of the state origin in public and secondary schools in the state enjoy free tuition.