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Tag: WAEC

  • 2018 WASSCE papers did not leak, says WAEC

    The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has said none of its papers in the ongoing May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) leaked before schedule.

    Rather, the Council explained that fraudulent supervisors, invigilators and candidates likely sent pictures of questions during live exams to rogue website to treat and send answers to their subscribers.

    The clarification was in reaction to a recent media report on examination malpractice syndicates which claimed to provide leaked question papers and answers for candidates writing the current examination.

    In a statement made available by the WAEC Director of Public Affairs, Mr Demianus Ojijeogu, the Council said:

    “The Council would like to emphasize that the question papers for the ongoing WASSCE for School Candidates , 2018 did not leak as has been erroneously portrayed in the media.

    “Leakage can be said to have occurred when the question papers gets into hands of individuals who are not supposed to have them before the time scheduled on the timetable. Without any iota of doubt the Council wishes to state that no case of leakage has been established since the beginning of the examination.

    “Our monitoring and investigations of the ongoing examination have established the fact that certain School Principals, Invigilators, Supervisors

    and Candidates who had succeeded in smuggling mobile phones and other electronic devices into the examination hall, snap the question papers after the examination must have commenced and forward to their criminal collaborators who in turn provide solutions to the questions and send to

    their subscribers via rogue websites, sms, WhatsApp and other social media.”

    The Council also praised the police for arresting some exam malpractice fraudsters and called for further partnership with telecoms operators and others to catch malpractice syndicates.

    “The Council is willing to collaborate with well meaning Nigerians, Civil Society Groups, Corporate Organisations that are ICT Inclined, Telecom Companies, States Ministries of Education, Deposit Money Banks, relevant Security Agencies, the Media and other stakeholders to neutralize the threat being posed by examination malpractice to education in Nigeria,” the statement said.

     

  • Senate decries recurring mass failure in WAEC, inaugurates committee to investigate cause

    The Senate has directed its Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary) to interact with the Minister of Education to identify the causes of the recurring failure in the WAEC results with a view to finding remedies.

    The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Umaru Kurfi (Katsina Central), who described the recurring mass failure of West African Examination Council (WAEC) results in the country since 2009 as embarrassing.

    The senator expressed worry that the rate of failure remains high, saying it was prejudicial to the interest of Nigerian secondary school students and their parents.

    According to him, in both 2009 and 2010 WAEC, only 25.99 and 24.94 per cent respectively passed with five credits including Mathematics and English, while the remaining others constituting 70 per cent failed.

    “In 2011 May/June WAEC, only 86,612 out of the 1,540,250 candidates that participated in the examinations got credit in mathematics and English language.

    “Also in 2011 May/June WAEC, only 86,612 out of 1,540,250 candidates that participated in the examinations got credits in Mathematics and English Language.

    “In 2012 May/June WAEC, only 649,159 out of 1,672,224 candidates that wrote the examinations which represents just 38.81 per cent got 5 credits and above including in the core subjects of Mathematics and English language.

    “In 2013 WAEC, only 29.17 per cent candidates actually passed the Nov/Dec WAEC examinations while 70 per cent failed.

    “In both 2017 and 2018 recent January/February private examinations, only 26.01 per cent and 17.13 per cent candidates have passed with 5 credits including Mathematics and English language respectively, while the remaining over 70 per cent candidates failed,’’ he said.

    Kurfi regretted that the future of the country would continue to be bleak if urgent action were not taken to address the situation.

    Contributing, Barau Jibrin said urgent steps must be taken to find reasons for the failure and remedies.

    Emmanuel Paulker said the situation called for a grave concern, attributing the development to the problem from poor quality of education received at the primary school level.

    “And it is this same crop of students that will move to the secondary school. Some of them can hardly write or read; without a foundation, there is no way a house can stand.

    “Those formulating our school curriculum must sit up, if not, we have our future doomed,’’ Paulker said.

    On her part, Biodun Olujimi emphasised the need to evaluate the entire value chain in the education sector, saying, “There is need for revaluation to understand where the missing link is.

    “There is also the need to look at teacher education because we have some teachers who are not properly trained, who don’t do research and cannot read or write.

    “So, how can they teach our children well,’’ Olujimi said.

    In his remark, the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki stressed the need to increase the value of human resources to promote quality education in the country.

    “I am sure the committee will work assiduously to get to the bottom of this matter and see that it is addressed.

    “Indeed the education sector need some reforms,’’ Saraki said.

     

  • WAEC releases 2018 WASSCE results, withholds 1,021

    The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) on Tuesday announced the release of its January/February series of the 2018 West African Senior School Certificate Examination.

    The council’s Head of National Office, Mr. Olu Adenipekun who announced the release in Lagos, said results of 1,021 candidates were, however, withheld.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the approval to introduce and conduct the additional diet in the country and other national offices of the five-member countries was given at the council’s 65th annual general meeting in March 2017.

    The introduction of the series for Private candidates, brings to the three, the number of examinations conducted by the council each year.

    According to Adenipekun, the results were withheld in connection with various reported cases of examination malpractice by the affected candidates.

    He said the cases were being investigated and that reports of the investigations would be presented to the appropriate committee of the council in due course, for consideration.

    “The committee’s decisions will be communicated to the affected candidates,’’ Adenipekun said.

    According to him, 11,721 candidates registered for the examination, while 11,307 actually sat for the test.

    Giving a breakdown of statistics of candidates’ performance at the examination, the HNO said that 8,113 candidates obtained credits and above in two subjects.

    He noted that 6,375 others obtained credits and above in three subjects, while 4,762 candidates obtained credits and above in four subjects.

    Adenipekun also said that 3,263 candidates obtained credits and above in five subjects, while 2,010 others obtained credits and above in six subjects.

    “A total 1,937 candidates, representing 17.13 per cent, obtained the minimum of credits in five subjects and above, including English Language and Mathematics.

    “The percentage of candidates in this category in the WASSCE in 2017 was 26.01 per cent.

    “From the statistics of performance, it is safe to say that candidates performance is not satisfactory, compared to what obtained in the same diet for private candidates in 2016 and 2017.

    “We, therefore, wish to plead with candidates to take this examination seriously,’’ he said.

  • WAEC set to conduct maiden January/February WASSCE for private candidates

    WAEC set to conduct maiden January/February WASSCE for private candidates

    The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) says it is set for the conduct of its newly introduced January/February West African Senior School certificate Examination (WASSCE) for private candidates.

    The council’s Head, National Office (HNO), Olu Adenipekun, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos.

    With the development, the first series of the examination for private candidates would be holding in January/February, while the second series would hold in the second half of the year

    According to Mr. Adenipekun, the January/February examination, which is the first of its kind in Nigeria, will take place in major cities across the country this year from January 29 to February 12.

    “We are fully ready to go. This examination is the first of its kind in the country for private candidates only, and is to be administered for now only in major cities and towns.

    “The result of this examination might likely be released within 30 days, and once we are able to do that, then we will be free to go into the main examination, which will now be the conduct of the May/June WASSCE for school candidates.

    “After this, we then also have the opportunity to prepare also for the conduct of the second series of the WASSCE for private candidates in August, popularly known as November/December WASSCE.

    “So, in a nutshell, we are fully prepared to win over the confidence of the general public, especially the Nigerian children, to the fact that they have an examination body that is ready and prepared to meet their academic needs,’’ he said.

    Mr. Adenipekun said the new arrangement was to ensure that those who are unable to pass were given the opportunity to get better prepared and try again.

    He said that efforts had also been stepped up in the area of computer and application of hardware for the council’s operation, to impact the activities of the organisation positively.

    According to the HNO, council seeks to continually improve on its operation in the new year in order to be able to conduct leakage-free as well as credible examinations and release result s promptly.

    The council’s Head, Test Development Division, (TDD), Frances Iweha-Onukwu, told NAN that some 12,000 candidates had registered and were expected to sit for the examination across the various centres in the country.

    “For the fact that such number of candidates registered for this first series of the examination is a positive sign for the council.

    “We only need more sensitisation and awareness for subsequent outings.

    “I am sure that with time, more candidates will key in, and I know with time, it is going to get better,’’ she said.’’

     

  • WAEC will be 100 per cent technology driven in 2018 – Official

    The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) says it will sensitise and train its workforce on key areas of technology deployment in order to improve its operations in 2018.

    The council’s head, National Office, Olu Adenipekun, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos.

    According to him, the council has organised series of retreats for both management staff and the workforce in preparatory to deploy technology in its operations.

    “We have worked hard in sensitising the workforce of the council and prepare their minds because it is one thing for one to strive to do something

    “But if the people that drives the system are not attuned psychologically, to doing that all such efforts will be fruitless.

    “So, we want to prepare our psyche on the need to sharpen our tools in preparation to move over to a 100 per cent technologically driven WAEC and of course we have done that and we are going full blast,” he said.

    The HNO noted that already, the council’s budget for 2018 had been fully designed to support the introduction of technology into the various aspects of its operation in Nigeria.

    He explained that the move would put WAEC at the level it is expected to be in the comity of examination bodies worldwide.

    “Members of staff of the council must be able to go beyond being a staff of the ICT Department. Even if one is a messenger, one should be able to ask how he can deploy technology to carry out his duties and this applies to all other operational components of council.

    “So, this is an era where we are looking at 2018 as a year where we will be deploying technology in all facets of our operations, not just in conducting examination, processing of results and printing of certificates but in all areas of our operations,’’ the HNO said.

    On the possibility of introducing Computer Based Test (CBT) platform for its examination, Mr. Adenipekun said the CBT was not an examination mode that was limited to any particular examination body.

    According to him, WAEC also has a section called the Aptitude Test department that can equally use the CBT platform in conducting examination for candidates.

    He, however, said that the main point was that the mandate of WAEC makes it difficult to go the whole hug as it was different from that of other examination bodies like JAMB.

    “It will interest you to know that WAEC conducts achievement tests to ascertain the level of achievement of a candidate or student after attending secondary school for a six-year period.

    “So, if you want to test knowledge for English Language for instance, we do so without bringing about any complications.

    “We are aware of the operational environment. WAEC examination is not a selection test, it is an achievement test and so in doing that, we will have to deploy all facilities available to ensure that we help that particular candidate to prove himself or herself,’’ he said.

    The WAEC boss explained that if in a school, a candidate or student had not been exposed to the use of a computer in any form for the six years he had been attending school, it would be unfair to subject such candidate to the CBT platform in an examination.

    “So what we are then doing as an organisation and as part of our step forward is to come out and encourage state governors, school owners, communities, individuals and of course the generality of education stakeholders on the need to see how we can encourage secondary schools.

    “This, we should do starting from Junior Secondary 1, to see how students can deploy computers in writing their internal examination.

    “Once we are able to identify schools that are favourably disposed to this and we are convinced that they can meet our terms, we will start looking in the direction of introducing them to some aspects of our examinations which is the objective questions, which can be done on the CBT platform to start with.

    “We have some papers that have three components and others two. Those with two components, objective and essay and for schools that are ready for CBT, we should be able within the next two years to encourage them to present their candidates,” Mr. Adenipekun said.

    (NAN)

     

  • WAEC releases timetable for 2018 first series candidates

    The West African Examination Council, WAEC, has released timetable for 2018 first series private candidates.

    The Council released the timetable on its official twitter page @waecnigeria on Thursday night.

    The council has fixed January 12, 2018 as the closing date of registration for the first series of private candidates which was earlier scheduled to close December 29.

    The council said candidates are expected to pay a registration fee of N13,950 and a commission of N500 to banks and accredited agents.

    According to the timetable, the examination is scheduled to start on January 29 and end on February 12,2018.

  • Examination malpractices: WAEC to re-introduce e-marking

    In an effort to broaden its scope and minimize exam, the West African Examinations Council International Office (WIO) in Lagos, says it was set to re-introduce electronic marking for its tests.

    The Head of the Office, Mr Adelowo Maliki, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Lagos.

    According to him, the marking before now was done with some foreign partners based in the United Kingdom.

    “We started this electronic marking in 2014 through to 2015, only for us to suspend it in 2016, due to high costs as regards the high exchange rate.

    “But now, we are set to bring it back as we have gotten all necessary approvals from the council’s committee meetings and the council itself.

    “This led to our trying to develop our own in-house and by the grace of God, the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for private candidates would be marked electronically.

     

    NAN

  • Why widespread cheating occur in WAEC exams — Registrar

    The West African Examinations Council, WAEC, on Sunday, said it had concluded plans to host an international summit on malpractices in the sub-region as intense competition for access to education system has led to widespread cheating in examinations.

    The Registrar of the Council, Iyi Uwadiae, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.

    He said that for the purpose of obtaining higher scores to improve their chances of gaining admission to the next level of education, some students do everything available to them to indulge in cheating during examinations.

    He added that “the board of WAEC has been troubled by the rising scourge of examination malpractice and it is set to organise an international summit to address it.

    “The summit will take place in Lagos between October 19 and October 20 to provide platform for stakeholders to come together and share experiences to enable us to arrive at a workable solution to this endemic situation in the sub-region.”

    He explained that WAEC, being a five-member country organisation, was expecting representatives of governments of the respective member countries.

    He added that “we are also going to involve people from the academia such as teachers who are our main stakeholders and others”

    The WAEC boss, who noted that the summit was not going to be an annual event, expressed satisfaction with the performance of Nigerian candidates in Mathematics at the 2017 May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

    He said “efforts should be made to sustain the development. I must say that this year’s performance in Mathematics in the country is the best compared with results in recent past.

    “I want to attribute it to more commitment on the side of both the teachers and students. I think teaching is becoming more effective and students are improving in their learning. My prayer is to ensure that this trend is sustained and improved upon.”

     

     

     

    NAN

  • Exams will hold as earlier scheduled despite Eid-el-Kabir holiday – WAEC

    The West African Examinations Council, WAEC, has announced that the examinations earlier slated for Monday, September 4 will hold despite the public holidays.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the Federal Government had on Tuesday declared September 1 and 4 as public holidays to mark the 2017 Eid-el-Kabir festival.

    However, WAEC while answering questions from candidates partaking in the exams on its Facebook page and twitter handle @waecnigeria confirmed that the exams will hold.

    The Director of Public Affairs, WAEC Nigeria, Demianus Ojijeogu also confirmed to newsmen on Wednesday morning that the exams will hold as earlier scheduled. Ojujeogu said: “the paper(s) will hold as scheduled.”

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the confirmation by the examination body put to rest the initial doubts of the likely hood of the exams holding due to the public holidays declared by the Federal Government.

     

  • WAEC withholds 15,000 results of SSCE candidates

    The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has withheld the results of over 15,000 candidates that sat for the May/June senior school certificate examinations.

    The affected candidates are from Niger State.

    The decision to hold on to the results was reportedly because the state government failed to pay the examination fees on behalf of the candidates.

    Non-indigenes that sat for the examination paid their registration fees of about N14,000 each to the Ministry of Education following the state government’s decision to pay for only the indigenes.

    However, the payments made by the non-indigenes were not remitted to WAEC, according to Thisday.

    It was gathered that over N750 million was owed WAEC by both indigene and non-indigene candidates that sat for the examination.

    The situation is a repeat of last year’s stalemate.

    In 2016, WAEC and National Examinations Council (NECO), withheld results of candidates from Niger State.

    The councils had explained that they took the action because the state government failed to remit fees to the examination body.