The Borno State Government, has enrolled 250 internally displaced boys and girls to sit for the 2017 West African Examination Council’s (WAEC), graduation exams for secondary school students.
94 girls and 156 boys from different Local Governments in the state whose schools and communities were attacked by Boko Haram, resulting in their displacement are the beneficiaries of the government’s benefits.
It was the first time Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’S) are writing the WAEC since they were forced out of their homes by Boko Haram insurgents at different times in 2014.
The students are mostly from Kukawa, Gwoza, Ngala, Bama, Monguno, Guzamala and Nganzai Local Government Areas.
The students wrote practicals on Wednesday at three WAEC centres; Government College, Government Girls College and Mustapha Umar Elkanemi Arabic Teachers College all in Maiduguri.
The 250 IDPs were those who passed a special mock exam conducted for about 1,000 IDPs who were in final year at secondary schools before they were displaced.
The mock exams were meant to evaluate the IDPs that were able to catch up after undergoing classes and comprehensive tutorials organized for them in camps on the orders of the state governor, Kashim Shettima.
“Governor Kashim Shettima released funds to the Borno State Emergency Management Agency which was used to pay the WAEC fees of all the students.
“Mock exam was organized for over 1,000 IDPs but out of them, 250 did well and were believed to be emotionally and academically set for the 2017 WAEC”, the Government House statement said.
Governor Shettima had authorized the purchase of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) forms for the 250 students while some of the 1,000 IDPs who showed some good signs after the mock exams will receive further coaching.
“They will undergo more tutorials to prepare them for the next WAEC examinations in their communities, since the government doesn’t hope that they remain IDP’S by 2018”, the statement concluded.
