Worried by incessant mass failure of candidates in examinations in Nigeria, West African Examination Council, WAEC, has challenged the Federal Government to review the nation’s education policy to create a comparable standard among the 36 states. The Regional Head of WAEC Nigeria, Mr. Charles Egurudi stated this in Abuja while speaking to journalists on conduct of WAEC examinations in Nigeria and international practice of test on students.
Speaking on high ranking of Nigeria‘s position in examination malpractice, Egurudi said Nigeria being the largest contributor of candidates to the regional examination, the country records the highest cases of malpractice.
He said that the nature and patterns of examination malpractice in Nigeria have become sophisticated, noting that candidates have resorted to self help. He said the Council in Nigeria, recently introduced a special technology that has the capacity to access biometrics, photographs on the certificate and the seal all to ensure that individual’s certificate is indeed from WAEC.
“With five countries in the West Africa region writing the WAEC examinations, Nigeria for instance in May/June 2013 contributed 75% of the number of total registered candidates which is 1,689,188; Gambia had 8,422; Ghana registered 409,759 candidates; Liberia 4,269; Sierra Leone did not write due to change of school calendar.
“This doesn’t reflect in any way, the tendency of Nigerians to cheat. Where you have much more people, you have a tendency of more number of cheats. “The fact that in Nigeria we have technology to monitor examinations which some other countries do not have, goes a long way to make our examinations more credible than some other countries because in other countries, they depend on reports from supervisors and teachers and security agencies.”
The WAEC boss recalled the unfortunate incident in Government Secondary School Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014 where 296 girls were kidnapped, the security agencies, Ministry of Education and Police couldn’t provide the government the names, age and pictures of those girls abducted. It was WAEC who did this because they have a credible database.
Speaking on the introduction of Computer-Based Test, Egurudi said WAEC is conscious of the fact that the purpose of education is to prepare people for life not examinations. “WAEC conducts exams taking cognizance of three domains of knowledge which stretches over three weeks.
“And with the challenge of electricity in the country today, it will be intellectually wrong of me to deceive anybody that WAEC will go the CBT way; WAEC cannot deceive the Nigerian people but elements of our examinations could incorporate CBT,” he said.
The WAEC boss applauded the management of JAMB saying what the board is doing is commendable being that its 100% Computer-Based Test is for admission examinations not certification like WAEC.
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