El Rufai abolishes payments of admission forms’ fees in in Kaduna

The Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El Rufai yesterday announced the abolition of fees paid for admission forms and their processing by applicants seeking admission into tertiary institutions owned by Kaduna state.

The State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Shehu Usman-Adamu, who spoke to journalists shortly after the cabinet meeting at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna on behalf of the governor said: “All state government owned tertiary institution have been directed to stop payments for admission forms and for the processing of the forms for all tertiary schools in Kaduna State with immediate effect.

“Under no condition should prospective students be subjected to buying scratch cards for admission forms or pay processing fees in any of the state-owned higher schools.

“Admission into higher institutions should not be treated as a revenue source, hence, government decision to to abolishe the fees.

“The Governor has also directed that all non-teaching occupants of school quarters vacate the premises within 90 days.

“Henceforth teachers transferred to other schools must vacate their official quarters within six months to give way for other occupants”, he said.

Meanwhile, the State Executive Council also approved a draft Fiscal Responsibility Bill.

The State Commissioner for Finance, Suleiman Kwari, who disclosed this after the council meeting, said the Fiscal Responsibility Bill is designed to help protect the state from fiscal indiscipline and reform public financial management in the state.

He said: “The absence of a guiding framework for fiscal policy by previous governments had made the state become one of the most indebted in the country.

“Therefore, the new government has decided to pursue macro-fiscal discipline, compliance with rules and the attainment of budget credibility,” he said.

“A bill which will be submitted to the state’s House of Assembly for legislation would provide for an independent commission to monitor and enforce the provisions of the proposed law.
“When passed into law, the bill will limit possible deficits to not more than five per cent of aggregated revenue.

“The law if operational will also create a Kaduna State Fiscal Responsibility Commission, KADFREC, which shall be independent and be capable of recommending violators for prosecution that on conviction may result in imprisonment or the payment of fines.”