Some educationists have applauded the recent decision by the West African Examination Council to organise additional diet of the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination for private candidates with effect from next year.
WAEC Registrar, Dr. Uyi Uwadiae, had during the 65th annual meeting of the examination body in Abuja, announced the need for the proposed diet in addition to its regular May/ June version to take care of a certain category of candidates. The new WASSCE diet is scheduled to take off in February/March 2018.
Reacting to the development, education experts commended WAEC’s efforts, saying that the introduction of this new scheme would help students, especially with the increase in the number of candidates for the WASSCE in the past years.
They contended that the introduction of such additional diet of the WASSCE was long overdue.
According to them, it would also offer candidates hampered by financial difficulties and unable to write the May/June WASSCE, the opportunity of taking part in the same examination, while it would also enable school candidates, who failed the regular May/June diet, to rewrite the examination and obtain their results.
Students, who also earlier dropped out from secondary school but willing to obtain the WASSCE, would be accommodated by the proposed diet, they further stated.
For Professor Francis Fagboyun of the Local Government Studies Department, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, with the introduction of the additional diet, WAEC has provided another platform to enable students, who missed the regular May/June diet, to write the WASSCE.
Fagboyun noted that financial constraint was the main reason so many students missed the May/June WASSCE as they would not be able to register before the deadline.
He, however, said that if the council could deal with examination malpractices, the proposed additional diet “would be something wonderful for students.”
‘Well, they have their good reasons and I think it is probably for those who may not be able to raise the money to purchase the May/June form. Many do not have the capacity to purchase at that time.
More so, if the council would be able to curb rate of malpractices, they are good to go,’’ Fagboyun added.
Also speaking, the Director General of the West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management, Prof. Akpan Ekpo, commended the council’s initiative in Nigeria.
Ekpo said that the additional diet would greatly help students across the country, warning that its conduct may, however, be marred by malpractices as experienced in other examinations.
“It is a good idea, but malpractices will always take place. It is good that the council is considering the student’s need and it is the right direction they have taken to help students, who do not have the opportunity to pass or write the previous examination.
If the council can reduce the rate of malpractices, which has eaten up the system, it is fine then,” he said.
Prof. Ezekiel Asemah of the Department of Mass communication, Delta State University, Abraka, commended WAEC for thinking along the line of having an additional diet for candidates writing the WASSCE in Nigeria.
Asemah said that the initiative would assist WAEC to cope with the increasing population of candidates sitting for the WASSCE every year. “It is a good one because we have so many people who want to go to school.
Since it is going to be twice a year now, they will be giving those who were not able to write the May/ June examination another chance to sit for the same WAEC, which is mostly recognised outside the country. Population is increasing on daily basis and we have to derive means of taking care of the needs of people.
The board, too, will enjoy workload relief,” he said. Meanwhile, WAEC has also launched an electronic informationsharing portal for candidates sitting for the November/December diet of the WASSCE.
According to a statement from the council, the portal generates e-mail addresses for each candidate for better engagement between the council and the candidate.
