Civil rights activist Aisha Yesufu has argued that Nigerian students should not be required to pay for external examination fees such as those charged for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), insisting that access to quality education should be treated as a fundamental right rather than a privilege.
According to her, the burden of examination fees places additional pressure on families already struggling with rising living costs, forcing many students to delay registration or abandon their educational ambitions entirely. She maintained that governments at all levels have a responsibility to ensure that children can complete their secondary education without financial barriers standing in their way.
Yesufu further argued that public investment in education should extend beyond classroom infrastructure and teacher recruitment to include the sponsorship of national examinations for students, particularly those from low-income backgrounds and underserved communities. She noted that several countries around the world already provide substantial educational support to students as part of efforts to improve literacy, human capital development, and economic growth.
Her comments come amid growing public debate over the affordability of educational expenses in Nigeria and concerns that increasing examination costs could widen the gap between students from wealthy families and those from less privileged backgrounds. Education stakeholders have repeatedly emphasized that reducing financial obstacles to learning remains critical to improving school enrollment and completion rates across the country.
The activist called for policies that would guarantee free and accessible education for every Nigerian child, stressing that investment in education remains one of the most effective ways to secure the nation’s future and promote social and economic development.