Not fewer than two hundred and fifty Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), mostly children are currently engaged in this year’s West African Examination Council’s examination in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
This development is coming at the directives of Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima that some of the students displaced along with their parents be evaluated to sit for the exam and continue their education.
The Chairman, Borno State Emergency Management Agency, Engr Ahmed Satomi who monitored the IDPs participation at three centres in Maiduguri on Wednesday, disclosed that the 250 IDP’S were those who passed a special mock exam conducted for about 1,000 IDPs students who were in final year at secondary schools before they were displaced.
The Chairman said the students underwent special classes and comprehensive tutorials organised for them in camps on the orders of Governor Shettima with volunteer tutors from some local NGOS, some aides of Governor Shettima and some graduates associated with the Governor took part in guiding all SS 3 IDP’s through WAEC syllabus.
Our correspondent gathered it was the first time IDPs’ students are writing the WAEC since they were forced out of their homes by Boko Haram insurgents at different times in 2014.
IDPs students writing exams in Maiduguri
The demographic distribution of the students included 94 female students and 156 male students drawn from hundreds of students whose schools and communities were attacked by Boko Haram resulting in their displacement.
The 250 students are mostly from Kukawa, Gwoza, Ngala, Bama, Monguno, Guzamala and Nganzai local government areas.
The students who took the practicals exams today Wednesday at three designated WAEC centres in Maiduguri which include Government College, Government Girls College and Mustapha Umar Elkanemi Arabic Teachers College all in Maiduguri.
The Borno SEMA boss further explained that, “the students were first evaluated and enrolled into four senior secondary schools: Government Secondary School, Jajeri, Govt Girls Second school, Yerwa, Govt College, Maiduguri and Government Girls College Maiduguri and provided with free uniforms, sandals, bags and books in addition to special tutorials after school hours to enable them catch up after missing school due to displacement.
“Governor Kashim Shettima released funds to the Borno State Emergency Management Agency which we used to pay the WAEC fees of all the students. As you know, in Borno, the State Government pays for WAEC but parents pay a counterpart of N6,500 as a show of commitment.
“So, what SEMA paid was the counterpart since the Government already paid for all WAEC students across Borno State. Mock exam was organised for over 1,000 IDP’S but out of them, 250 did well and were believed to be emotionally and academically set for this year’s WAEC. The Governor also asked us to secure JAMB forms for all of them which is being done, we hope that all of them will do well to become eligible for University admission by end of the year,” Satomi said.
He added that “Governor Shettima had authorized the purchase of JAMB forms for the 250 students while some of the 1,000 IDP’S who showed some good signs after the mock exams are likely to sit for exams to gain entry into other tertiary schools even though they will undergo more tutorials to prepare them for next WAEC examinations in their communities since Government doesn’t hope that they remain in IDP’S by next year”.
