A viral social media post had stated that WAEC announced Abia as the best-performing state in WASSCE.

The Acting Head of Public Affairs, Moyosore Adesina, has declared the claim to be false, adding that it did not announce such information.

The statement reads: “The attention of the West African Examinations Council has been drawn to a social media post stating that Abia State has been rated as the best-performing State in the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2023, in Nigeria.

“This is far from the truth. The Council completely and totally disassociates itself from the publication.

“For the avoidance of doubt, The West African Examinations Council DOES NOT RANK the PERFORMANCE of STATES in its examination. This we have always stated.

“Thus, any media circulating this wrong information should be disregarded. They are mischievous platforms that trend on controversies, and their intention is purely political. They are trying unsuccessfully to drag the Council into the political arena and bring its good name to disrepute to cause disharmony among the states competing for superiority!

“Furthermore, the Council has not decided on the best candidate(s) for WASSCE for School Candidates, 2023. Any report to the contrary should be disregarded. The general public should please take note.”

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WAEC made the disclosure through the National Officer, Patrick Areghan, at Press Briefing Hall, WAEC National Office, Yaba, Lagos, on Monday.

He said: “I am happy to announce that candidates who sat for the 2023 WASSCE and have no pending issue can assess their results, including their certificates. “

Meanwhile, more details on the results are coming.

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Giving a breakdown of this year’s examination, WAEC Head of National Office, Patrick Areghan, said a total of 1,573,849 candidates registered for the examination from the 19,425 recognised secondary schools in the country.

Of the registered candidates, 1,560,261 actually sat for the examination and results of 1,256,990 candidates were fully processed and released, while 303,271 others were still being processed due to some unresolved issues.

The WAEC boss said that efforts were being made to speedily complete the processing to enable all the affected candidates to get their results fully processed and released within the next one week.

“The analysis of the statistics of the performance of candidates in the examination shows that out of the 1,560,261 candidates that sat for the examination, 1,398,370, representing 89.62 per cent, obtained credit and above in a minimum of any five subjects, that is, with or without English Language and/ or Mathematics.

“A total of 1,274,784 others, representing 81.7 per cent obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

“Of this number, 630,138, that is, 49.43 per cent, are male candidates, while 644,646, that is, 50.57 per cent, are female candidates,” he said.

According to WAEC, there is an appreciable 16.46 per cent improvement in performance of those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, which was 65.24 per cent for 2020 WASSCE.

He added that the examination was also administered to candidates from schools in Benin Republic and Vote D’Ivoire, where the Nigerian curriculum for senior secondary schools are used.

The HNO noted that results of 170,146 candidates were, however, being withheld in connection with various reported cases of examination malpractice.

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The results were released on Tuesday.

Addressing reporters, WAEC’s Head of the Nigeria National Office, Patrick Areghan, explained that the examination was designed to help candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions to beat admission deadlines.

“It will interest you to know that the examination is also an international one. This is the fourth edition in Nigeria, with the maiden edition taking place in 2018.

“The examination is primarily designed to help candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions reduce the waiting time for results and beat admission deadlines,” he said.

Areghan said 7,289 candidates sat for the examination with 2,938 — representing 40.31 per cent — obtaining Credits and above in a minimum of any five subjects.

“The analysis of the statistics of the performance of candidates shows that out of the 7,289 candidates that sat the examination, 2,938 candidates, representing 40.31 per cent, obtained Credits and above in a minimum of any five subjects with or without English Language and Mathematics,” he said.

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The Head of Public Affairs, WAEC Nigeria, Demianus Ojijeogu, who made this known in a statement, said the examination would now commence on Monday, November 30, 2020.

The statement was titled, ‘West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) For Private Candidates, 2020-Second Series: Change In Timetable’.

It read, “The West African Examinations Council, Nigeria wishes to inform all registered candidates for WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2020-Second Series and the general public that there has been a change in timetable.

“The examination, which was initially scheduled to commence on Saturday, November 14, 2020 will no longer hold as planned, due to circumstances beyond our control. The examination has now been rescheduled to commence on Monday, November 30, 2020.

“The Council wishes to reassure candidates that the new timetable for the conduct of the examination will be released soon. We regret any inconveniences this might cause our dear candidates and members of the general public.”

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The federal government has said students of its 104 schools across the country will not participate in the yearly examination because of the pandemic, urging states and private school owners to follow suit.

However, a number of states in southern Nigeria have declared their intention to put measures in place and go on with the examination, while other West African countries are also going ahead.

Abdullahi, who was also Kwara state commissioner for education from 2003 to 2007, said that the federal government should not foreclose the options before it.

“The best we can do is to find ways to keep life going even in the midst of the pandemic and continue to find creative ways to manoeuvre around it. It is what we are doing with the airlines. It is what we are doing with the markets. It is what we are doing with sundry other sectors that we have allowed to resume even as the pandemic rages still,” he explained.

He said the decision not to participate in the exams will affect 1.5 million students this year, and this can get complicated if the pandemic continues into next year, meaning the number of affected students will double.

Abdullahi said: “The Federal Government is understandably afraid of what could happen, God forbid, if it allows people’s children to gather to write the SSCE examination in the midst of the raging pandemic of COVID-19.

“When it comes to COVID-19, there is no easy answer, and there will always be trade-off. Federal Government is therefore choosing to err on the side of caution by asking children not to write the examinations.

“However, the easier or safer options are not necessarily the best. The relative net consequences of all available options have to be considered and weighed against one another. When we consider that this safe option will mean that about 1.5 million children will be left hanging for one year and by next year, this number will double, along with all the implications, then we must force ourselves to think more deeply and begin to consider even more difficult options. No one knows if this pandemic will end next year, or even in the next five years. God forbid, but what happens if it actually gets worse next year and the year after?”

Advising the government to be creative, he said there are questions that the decision-makers should consider in arriving at a final decision.

“Can we get the exact number of students eligible to write WASC examination this year? Can we study their spread across the country? What logistics challenge does each location present in terms of COVID-19 safety measures? How long does it normally take to write the examination? Do we need to stretch it out longer to allow fewer number of candidates into the examination hall at one time? Can we set up minimum safety requirements that each centre must meet if it must serve as an examination centre? Do we need to request for a postponement for another month or so to enable us put all these measures in place?” he asked.

“Even the south-west states would value the lives of the children more than they value education. Same with other countries in the WAEC arrangement. Why then, are they insisting on proceeding with the examinations? Are there things we can learn from them in rolling out a nationwide plan? The decision not to write the examination is an option. But we need to consider other options as well and chose what is best for the children rather than what we consider most convenient for everyone.”

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In a statement on Friday, Ben Goong, director of information, federal ministry of education, quoted Emeka Nwajiuba, minister of state for education, as saying this as a result of a meeting which held on Monday.

WASSCE had been scheduled to begin on August 4, but the federal government announced that students of unity schools would not participate in the examination owing to COVID-19 concerns.

However, according to the statement, discussions will continue with four other countries to determine a new date for the examination.

Goong added that schools have been given till July 29, 2020, to ensure that their facilities are ready for resumption in line with the guidelines issued by the ministry of education for safe reopening of places of learning.

The ministry said a decision would be taken after the July 29 deadline on resumption of schools for all categories of learners.

“We have consulted widely with stakeholders in the sector, including commissioners of education in all the states of the federation, the Association of Private School Owners of Nigeria,(APSON), National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools,(NAPPS), Provosts of Colleges of Education, Rectors of Polytechnics, Vice-Chancellors of Universities, some State Governors, and development partners,” Nwajiuba was quoted as saying.

“On WAEC, we met with WAEC on Monday and have agreed to further consult with four other countries on new examination date. We appreciate the concern shown by all stakeholders and note the divergent views expressed on the matter.

“Parents should rest assured that the safety of our students and teachers is paramount as we work assiduously towards the speedy reopening of our schools for the exit classes to take external examinations.”

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But the Federal Government on Wednesday reiterated its advisory that schools should remain shut and not take part in the examination conducted by the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

At a virtual meeting organised by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission Wednesday, commissioners for Education in the six states, special advisers on Education and State Universal Education Board (SUBEB) chairmen reached an agreement to reopen schools for SS3 pupils to sit for their final examination.

The meeting agreed on the need for Southwest states to implement a 2016 plan to establish a regional examination body akin to the Interim Joint Matriculation Board (IJMB) in the North.

The plan was laid out at the Roundtable on Creating a Collaborative Framework for Education Development and Advancement in Western Nigeria held in Osogbo, the Osun State capital in 2016.

A statement by the DAWN Commission said all the states would reopen schools for SS3 pupils on August 3 with COVID-19 preventive measures put in place.

According to the statement, the states will approach the Federal Government at the first instance to seek a postponement of the WASSCE by at least three weeks from the proposed resumption date.

At the second instance, states are to directly approach WAEC to seek a postponement of the examination to the week begining August 24.

On resumption, schools are to appoint incident managers and classroom wardens.

There will also be a designation of quality assurance department for each state to issue a safety compliance certificate to each school before reopening.

Each state will encourage intensive advocacy campaign to stakeholders, including parents, teachers, caregivers, school owners and pupils on what is expected of them when schools resume.

The meeting also called on the WAEC to encourage Computer-Based Tests (CBT) in the future.

Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, had announced a reversal of the Federal Government’s decision to allow students to sit for the examination.

He said schools would remain shut and final year secondary school students would no longer write WASSCE until further notice.

Minister of State for Education, Chief Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, restated the Federal Government’s position on Wednesday while briefing State House Correspondents after the eighth virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

He said the ministry was still consulting with stakeholders on way forward, adding that WAEC had also started consultations with West African states on a possibility of shifting dates.

Nwajiuba said: “We are still meeting with parents over the decision of the ministry. What the Minister said reflects the true position of the Ministry; we are not confident yet that everywhere is safe.

“The numbers from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) are still alarming and we have put this before parents and all the stakeholders in the education ecosystem. A stakeholders’ meeting was convened for Monday.

“WAEC on its part is also negotiating with other West African countries to look at possible shift in date.
Once they are through with that meeting and hopefully when we are through with the consultation with stakeholders, if there’s any change in the ministry’s position, we will communicate.

“But as it stands, the position of the minister, as communicated to you last week, remains the position of the ministry until further evidence to the contrary or further agreements that may alter those arise.”

The minister said FEC approved the ministry’s memorandum for a N136 million contract for the procurement of computers and seats for theatres in auditoriums at the University of Benin.

He said the contract would be funded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).

Following the reaffirmation of its opposition to the resumption of schools, DAWN Commission Director General Seye Oyeleye said that Southwest states would consult with the government and agree on the way out of the logjam.

Oyeleye said: “Southwest states are ready for SSCE. But in view of the latest decision by the Federal Government, we will consult with them and agree on the way forward. But we are ready for it in Southwest. The fact is that due to the peculiarities of Southwest states it is in our interest to allow our children write the examination as long as we are putting measures in place to prevent spread of Coronavirus.”

Also on Wednesday, the House of Representatives disagreed with the Federal Government on WASSCE. It said the Federal Government’s position was not well-thought-out and called for a reversal of the decision.

The lawmakers said the decision halted arrangements being made by WAEC and private school owners following the earlier announcement that examination would begin on August 4 and end on September 5.

Besides, there is no evidence that the ministry consulted stakeholders before pulling Nigeria out of the examination, the House said.

House Committee on Education Chairman Prof. Julius Ihonvbere who spoke on Sunrise Daily, a breakfast programme on Channels Television on Wednesday, said the lawmakers had summoned Adamu and WAEC representatives to a meeting today to discuss the possibility of reversing the decision.

The lawmaker said the House would back down if the minister could convince members that it is not safe to reopen schools for final year students to sit for the exams.

He said: “The House is inviting the minister and WAEC representative on Thursday for an interactive session to say where do we go from here? What are the options?

“Are we going to wait until the World Health Organisation (WHO) says we have a vaccine and it is available to everybody before the exit classes can write their exam?

“We believe that Nigeria is not the only country involved in this and we say we are the big brother of Africa, that our foreign policy is centred around Africa and we try to play a supportive role. We have no evidence so far that there was consultation with other countries in West Africa.

“We have no evidence that ministers or commissioners of education in West Africa met, and we have no evidence that even stakeholders in Nigeria were duly consulted before that decision was taken.

“We feel embarrassed that we are giving the impression to the world that since the COVID-19 outbreak we have been doing nothing to prepare, to respond and adjust to the new normal.

“What is required to write this exam is not that complicated. These are not babies, they are not kids. They are not kindergarten or primary school children.

“we wrote to the ministry about four weeks ago that if you are planning to reopen schools, these are certain protocols you must take, basically the same protocols that the NCDC had put out.”

Ihonvbere said the committee met with Nwajiuba who assured the lawmakers that the ministry was prepared to conduct the exam under a safe environment.

“He also announced this at the COVID-19 briefings and suddenly we got the news from the minister and we felt it was not well-thought-out, so the decision should be reversed,” he said.

Ebony State Government said it plans to reopen schools. Governor David Umahi, who spoke at a virtual State Executive Council meeting in Abakaliki, said the reopening of schools will be done in phases.

He said: “We have to start the process that will lead us probably to reopen our schools between August and September.”

He said the government would train teachers and students on COVID-19 protocols before the resumption.

The governor said teachers will undergo COVID-19 tests.

“Reopening of schools will start with the cleaning of the schools. We will fumigate them and then do a random test on the teachers.

“We will also deploy health workers to mount awareness within the communities where the school is situated. COVID-19 is real and we need to be very careful,” Umahi said.

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In a statement on Friday, Atiku kicked against the federal government’s decision to withdraw from the 2020 WASSCE due to COVID-19.

On Wednesday, Adamu Adamu, minister of education, had told state house correspondents that the safety of students is more important than the examination.

He also appealed to the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to reconsider postponing the examination scheduled for August 5 and September 5.

But Atiku said rather than pull out from the exercise, Nigeria should have reached an agreement with WAEC to stagger examinations with a different set of questions prepared for each shift.

“At a time of the global COVID-19 pandemic, it is understandable that an abundance of caution is put in place to save lives. However, caution, without consultation, and thoughtful action, may be counterproductive. 1.5 million Nigerian youths write WAEC annually,” he said.

“To abruptly cancel this exam is to set back our nation’s youth, and place them behind their contemporaries in other West African countries. This is perilous because Foreign Direct Investments and other economic indicators are tied to the educational indexes of nations.

“Already, Nigeria lags behind in crucial indices, like school enrolment, pass rates, and out of school children. This action will further create chaos in the public education system and exacerbate an already bad situation.

“In the alternative, FG can prevail on WAEC to have staggered examinations with a different set of questions for each shift. This will allow WAEC Nigeria to implement social distancing and carry out the examinations.

“I urge this administration to take into account that the lives they are trying to save will be further put at risk. If this policy is not reversed, tens of thousands, and possibly hundreds of thousands of Nigerians, will breach social distancing rules to cross over to neighbouring West African nations to write their WASSCE, rather than miss a year.”

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It has also withdrawn students of Unity Schools from the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) scheduled for August 5 and September 5.

The examination was initially postponed indefinitely to check the spread of COVID-19.

But Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, minister of state for education, had announced on Monday that the West African Examination Council (WAEC) has fixed the commencement of the examination for August 5.

Speaking with state house correspondents at the end of the virtual federal executive council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, Adamu Adamu, minister of education, said schools under the control of the federal government will not participate in the examination.

He also appealed to state governments who have agreed to reopen schools to reconsider the action due to the COVID-19 situation.

“I appeal to state governments that have announced schools’ resumption to reconsider it. I think it’s not safe. Let’s protect our children,” he said.

Adamu also appealed to WAEC to reschedule the examination because of the pandemic.

Nigeria had confirmed a total of 29,879 COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday evening.

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