Cross River State Approves Free WAEC Registration for Indigenous Students

Governor Bassey Otu

 Cross River State Governor, Senator Apostle (Prince) Bassey Edet Otu, has approved free WAEC registration for all indigenous students in the state for the May/June 2025 examinations. 

This decision, announced by the Commissioner for Education, Senator (Associate Prof) Stephen Odey, aims to alleviate the financial burden on families and improve educational outcomes.

The Governor, recognizing the economic hardships faced by many residents, has implemented several measures to support the education sector, including:

Free tuition: All pupils and students of Cross River State origin in public primary and secondary schools will receive free education.

 Free WAEC registration: All indigenous students in public secondary schools will be exempted from paying for the Senior Secondary School Examination fees conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

To facilitate this initiative, the State Executive Council has approved the release of N399,708,000.00 to register 14,804 candidates for the 2025 WAEC Examination at a cost of N27,000.00 per candidate.

This continues a commitment to improving education access in the state. In 2024, Governor Otu sponsored the registration of 16,301 candidates for the WAEC Examination, an investment of N440,127,000.00. The 2024 results demonstrated a significant improvement, with 72.1% of candidates achieving 5 credits and above, including English and Mathematics.