The Sokoto State government has officially cancelled all charges for examination slips, answer sheets, and school certificates in public secondary schools.
This directive was contained in a circular signed by the Honourable Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ahmad Ladan Ala, and sent to all school principals, directors, and heads of parastatals across the state.
It stated that the provision of these materials must now be fully covered through each school’s monthly Cash Allocation (CA), signaling a major shift in how resources are managed at the school level.
The circular reads: “The only fee still allowed to be collected by schools is the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) fee. “No principal is permitted to charge students for any of the above items.”
The Ministry also introduced a new financial procedure where principals must convene a general staff meeting each time they receive the CA, during which staff must agree on what to procure for the month, including the names, signatures of attendees, and the approved list of items to be purchased.
It said the records must be submitted alongside the monthly retirement template to the Ministry. “This move is part of the Ministry’s efforts to eliminate unauthorized charges and ensure that government allocations are used strictly for student welfare and school improvement,” a source within the Ministry told our reporter.
According to the circular, the directive takes immediate effect, and compliance by all school heads is declared mandatory.
