WAEC fee: Osun protesting pupils attack radio station, vandalise vehicles

Rampaging secondary school pupils in Osun State  on Thursday staged a public protest against the decision of the state government to stop payment of the WAEC fees of some SS3 students.

Hundreds of students trooped out in Ile Ife to protest  the new policy and some of them reportedly attacked  some motorists  while some of them vandalised Orisun FM, a radio station owned by the state government located in the town.

Due to the financial crisis facing the state, it was gathered that the state government decided to scale down the number of students whose fees would be paid this year.

This was said to have made  the government announce that  they would not pay the WAEC fees of students who failed to have four credit passes in the mock-examinations.

The protesting pupils were reported to have blamed the prolonged strike resulting from nonpayment of their teachers salaries  for their failure.

Our correspondent also gathered that secondary school pupils trooped out at Gbogan to protest the new policy.

They were said to have blocked the main road and caused traffic snarl.

The pupils were said to have vented their anger on the radio station and vandalised some cars parked inside the premises.

A resident of Ife who identified himself as Remi told our correspondent on the telephone that the rampaging pupils attacked some unlucky motorists as they marched through some of the streets.

The Consultant to Osun State Government on Information, Mr. Sunday Akere, when contacted told our correspondent that the students were instigated by some persons he did not mention.

He said the government decided not to pay for all the students because of the limited resources and because some of the students were not serious with their studies.

PUNCH