Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Federal Government’s decision to increase examination fees and school charges, warning that the policy could force thousands of children out of education.
Reacting to the planned N50,000 WAEC and NECO registration fee, Atiku described the move as economically insensitive, especially at a time when Nigerians are battling inflation, unemployment and rising living costs.
According to him, education remains the most effective tool for social mobility and poverty reduction. He argued that increasing costs within the education sector would disproportionately affect poor and middle-income families already struggling to survive.
Atiku warned that Nigeria, which already has one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children globally, risks worsening the crisis if more financial barriers are erected around education.
He questioned the logic of introducing policies that make learning more expensive while government officials simultaneously lament the growing education deficit.
The former presidential candidate called on President Bola Tinubu to reverse the fee increase and convene stakeholders to discuss sustainable education financing.
He also urged greater investment in schools, teacher recruitment and educational infrastructure, insisting that no child should lose access to education because of poverty or government policy decisions.
