In a landmark initiative to safeguard access to quality education for thousands of students, the Benue State Government has introduced stringent measures to curb unauthorized fees in public and private schools.
This zero-tolerance stance against illicit charges underscores the administration's commitment to dismantling systemic barriers that have long plagued the state's education sector, particularly amid ongoing challenges like insecurity and substandard infrastructure.
The reforms were unveiled by Dr. Terna Francis, the newly appointed pioneer Executive Secretary of the Benue Education Quality Assurance and Examinations Board (BEQAEB), during an address to principals and administrators from both public and private institutions in Makurdi, the state capital. Dr. Francis, a seasoned educationist with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the University of Lagos, brings extensive experience in policy implementation and quality assurance to his role.
Appointed just days earlier on November 4, 2025, by Governor Hyacinth Alia, he leads the freshly established BEQAEB, a unified body formed through a landmark bill signed into law on November 5, 2025. This legislation merges the former Bureau for Education Quality Assurance with the Benue State Examinations Board, creating a streamlined entity designed to foster efficiency, transparency, and merit-based assessments across primary and secondary levels.
Central to the new framework is the mandatory adoption of the e-Dossier system, a cutting-edge digital platform that serves as an automated tracker for student performance and academic records. Spanning Basic 1 through Basic 9 and Senior Secondary 1 to 3, the e-Dossier not only digitizes learner progress but also enables real-time school rankings based on standardized metrics.
It further facilitates monitoring of student mobility, helping to identify patterns of migration that could signal underlying issues such as overcrowding or unequal resource distribution. "This innovation represents more than a tool—it's a safeguard for equity, ensuring every child's journey is documented with precision and free from manipulation," Dr. Francis emphasized.
To further combat graft, BEQAEB has fully digitized examination payments, restricting transactions to secure online portals or authorized banking channels. This eliminates opportunities for cash handling by board staff, who are now explicitly barred from collecting fees, issuing receipts, or serving as intermediaries for schools or candidates. Principals have been instructed to route all inquiries and grievances exclusively through official digital and administrative pathways, promoting a culture of structured accountability.
Dr. Francis did not mince words about the board's transformative vision. "The new BEQAEB is not a superficial overhaul; it is a complete renaissance dedicated to efficiency, integrity, and unyielding accountability," he declared. He reflected candidly on the legacy of its predecessor, the Benue State Examinations Board, which had become emblematic of deep-seated malaise. "We endured protracted delays in result releases, certificates languishing unissued for years, rampant irregularities during exams, and a profound erosion of stakeholder confidence. These shortcomings not only tarnished our educational reputation but also deprived our youth of the integrity they deserve in evaluations."
This aggressive stance arrives at a critical juncture for Benue's education landscape. The state, nestled in Nigeria's North-Central region and home to over 6 million residents, grapples with multifaceted hurdles that exacerbate learning disparities. Insecurity, including farmer-herder conflicts and banditry, has shuttered schools for over eight years in rural enclaves, displacing communities and spiking out-of-school children rates.
According to UNICEF data, Nigeria boasts one of the world's highest numbers of out-of-school children at approximately 18.5 million, with Benue contributing significantly due to factors like inadequate funding, dilapidated facilities, and a shortage of qualified teachers—issues that hit early childhood and basic education hardest. Recent audits have uncovered nearly 4,000 substandard or unapproved schools statewide, prompting phased closures to enforce minimum standards. In Gboko Local Government Area alone, over 200 institutions face imminent shutdowns as part of this purge.
Governor Alia's administration views these reforms as integral to broader national aspirations, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goal 4 for inclusive and equitable quality education. By eradicating illegal levies—which have historically burdened low-income families with hidden costs for uniforms, textbooks, and extracurriculars—BEQAEB aims to boost enrollment and retention. Preliminary projections suggest the e-Dossier could reduce administrative bottlenecks by up to 40%, while automated payments may curtail leakages estimated at millions of naira annually in exam-related malfeasance.
Stakeholders, including parent-teacher associations and civil society groups like the Good Governance Initiative, have hailed the moves as a "vital reset" for Benue's schools. "This isn't just about fees; it's about reclaiming the promise of education as a public good," noted a Makurdi-based educator attending the briefing. As implementation rolls out, the state vows rigorous monitoring, with sanctions for non-compliance ranging from fines to operational suspensions.
For educators, students, and families in Benue, these changes signal a brighter horizon—one where opportunity is measured by merit, not money. Further details on the e-Dossier rollout and compliance guidelines are available via the official BEQAEB portal at beqa.be.gov.ng.