WAEC ASSURES NIGERIANS: UPCOMING CBT EXAMS NOT INTENDED FOR SCHOOL CANDIDATES, SAYS ‘CURRENTLY EXCLUSIVE FOR 2024 1ST SERIES PRIVATE CANDIDATES’
By Trek Africa Newspaper
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Nigeria has assured parents, students, and other education stakeholders in Nigeria that the planned CBT examination is only for candidates who will be writing the 2024 1st series Private examinations which kicks off in January 31 and ends February 17, 2024, Trek Africa Newspaper can report.
The examinations body added that it has not jettisoned its usual Paper and Pencil Based test as bandied by a youth forum.
Trek Africa Newspaper can reliably report that the paper and pencil will still be deployed in the school examinations this year because required infrastructure is not yet present in many secondary schools.
This was elaborated in WAEC Nigeria’s press statement issued by Moyosola F. Adesina, Ag. Head, Public Affairs, WAEC, Lagos to Trek Africa Newspaper disclosed: ‘The attention of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has been drawn to a media report stating that a youth forum has called for the rejection of the planned Computer Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for Private Candidates – First Series, 2024. The said examination is to be conducted by WAEC Nigeria and is scheduled to hold between January 31 and February 17, 2024. The agitation for the rejection of the CB-WASSCE was in response to an earlier media report in which WAEC purportedly announced that it had ditched the Paper and Pencil Testing model and had adopted the Computer Based Testing model for the conduct of the School Candidates’ Examination.’
‘For the avoidance of doubt, the West African Examinations Council hereby states unequivocally, that it had never announced the adoption of the Computer Based Testing model for the conduct of the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2024; therefore, the media report under reference is false and misleading. Recall that a Press Release was issued in November 2023 stating that plans had been concluded for WAEC Nigeria to conduct its first-ever examination using the Computer Based Testing model in the upcoming WASSCE for Private Candidates- First Series, 2024. Furthermore, in an interview published by Punch Newspaper on November 30, 2023, the Head of National Office, WAEC Nigeria, Dr Amos Josiah Dangut, confirmed that the Computer Based Testing model would not be applied to the WASSCE for School Candidates just yet. He stated that there was still a lot to be done to equip schools with the needed infrastructure, resources and adequately trained manpower to engage and cooperate with WAEC for the conduct of CB-WASSCE for School Candidates. He also clarified 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 in urban areas.’
For the 2024 1st series private candidates, Adesina noted: ‘WAEC has on several platforms, outlined the mode for taking the upcoming CB-WASSCE and put measures in place to ensure that candidates, the examination environment and the general public are adequately sensitised on the requirements and outlay for the examination. Candidates are hereby reminded that all Multiple Choice (Objective) questions would be delivered (posted) and answered on computer while Essay (Theory and Practical) questions would be delivered (posted) on screen, for candidates to answer questions of their choice in provided Answer Booklets.
Meanwhile, the Council is not unaware of possible challenges that may be encountered by candidates during the conduct of the examination.’
‘To this end, a trial test and a free mock examination have been scheduled to take place on WAEC’s designated platforms for prospective candidates, whether secondary school students or out-of-school individuals, to familiarise themselves with the testing environment, prior to the commencement of the WASSCE for Private Candidates – First Series, 2024.
Notification for the mock examination will be sent to prospective candidates through their emails. Announcements for the scheduled mock examination will also be made through mainstream and new media. In addition, candidates are also advised to visit WAEC Nigeria’s website and social media spaces for relevant information and guidelines on how to navigate the CB-WASSCE platform.
WAEC Nigeria has engaged the services of CBT centres across the Country, checked their suitability to host candidates for the CB-WASSCE, throughout its duration. Some candidates will be assigned to sit the examination at designated WAEC Branch and Zonal Offices, for administrative purposes’, Trek Africa Newspaper gathered.
‘As an organisation that prioritises excellence, innovation and professionalism as its core values, the general public can be assured that WAEC would not compromise its standard on quality assessment and global best practices, to ensure the smooth conduct of the WASSCE for Private Candidates – First Series, 2024.’
‘As Africa’s foremost examining body, providing qualitative and reliable educational assessment, it is the vision of WAEC, to show its publics and stakeholders, the great potentials that exist in adopting the Computer-based approach to secondary school assessments in general. WAEC welcomes the cooperation of all to achieve this great mandate’, WAEC Nigeria concluded.
