The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has reaffirmed its readiness to commence the conduct of its West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) for private candidates on a digital platform, starting with the first series of exams this February.
The organisation has also restated and made it clear that the Computer-Based Examination (CBE) is only for private candidates for now, while it has not decided when to incorporate the May-June school-based candidates into the new exam method.
The Head of National Office WAEC Nigeria, Dr Amos Dangut, made this clarification in a statement made available yesterday by the council’s spokesperson, Mrs Moyosola Adesina.
He said the clarification is necessary to further enlighten prospective candidates and members of the public on the forthcoming first-series exam and the CB-WASSCE mode’s involvement.
He said WAEC attention was drawn to a recent media report credited to a youth forum calling for the rejection of the planned CBT exam for private candidates on the basis that such would also extend to school-based candidates, which he said was a falsehood and misleading.
He said there was never a time that WAEC made such an announcement as regards the latter claim.
He explained that WAEC is aware that there is still a lot to be done to equip schools with the needed infrastructure and resources and to adequately train manpower to handle the conduct of CBT exams for school candidates, who are always in large numbers.
He pointed out that the introduction of CB-WASSCE is currently exclusive to the First Series of the Private Candidates’ Examination, which, since its inception, has been conducted only in urban centres with relatively few candidates
He explained again the modalities for the exam, saying candidates would only have their multiple-choice (objective) questions and answers on the computer, while essay (theory and practical) questions would be viewed on the computer for candidates to write their answers to their choice questions in the answer booklets provided.
He said that while WAEC is not unaware of possible challenges that may come up during the exam, the examining body has decided to conduct a free mock exam scheduled to take place on WAEC’s designated platforms for willing candidates who may either still be in school or have already passed out of secondary school.
He noted that the free gesture was to serve as a trial test for candidates to familiarise themselves, if not yet, with the online exam environment ahead of the actual exam.
He said notification for the mock exam would be sent to them via their emails, while scheduled dates and times would be announced later through mainstream and new media.
He added, “We also want the prospective candidates to visit our website and social media handles for relevant information and guidelines that would help them in the conduct of the CB-WASSCE exam.”
The WAEC boss noted that the council had done its work well to conduct a hitch-free exam, noting that all the CBT centres, including the ones at its designated branch and zonal offices nationwide, have been checked for their suitability for the CBT exam.
He said WAEC, Africa’s foremost examining body, would continue to conduct credible examinations for its candidates.
