The West African Examination Council said it is liaising with the Inspector General of Police, Brigade Commanders, other security agencies and the various State Governments to provide security as it commences the 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) School Candidates scheduled to begin on May 8, 2023.
According to the examination council, Zonal and Branch Offices of WAEC have reached out to various security outfits in their respective locations for assistance to enlist their full cooperation if the need arises.
Patrick, Areghan, head of the Nigeria National Office of the West African Examinations Council disclosed this on Thursday at a press briefing in Lagos on the conduct of the WASSCE For School Candidates.
He said Secondary school candidates will for seven weeks starting from Monday, 8th of May to Friday, 23rd of June, write the examination across Nigeria, adding that this year’s examination will be the second time in succession, the council have successfully reverted to May/June period for the conduct of the examination.
Areghan told journalists that a total 1,621,853 candidates from 20,851 secondary schools have registered for the examination. Out of this number, 798,810 are males, amounting to 49.25 percent, while 823,043 are females, which is 50.75 percent of the total candidature.
Giving detailed statistics about the forthcoming examination, the HNO said that there is a further increase and decrease in the number of females and males respectively, compared to the 2022 diet, adding that on the whole, the candidature for the 2023 WASSCE (SC) increased by 13, 868 over the figure of 2022 1,607,985.
“Candidates would be examined in 76 subjects, made up of 197 papers. About 30,000 practicing senior secondary school teachers, nominated by the various State Ministries of Education, would be participating in the examination as supervisors. Teachers in all the schools presenting candidates for the examination would serve as invigilators in their respective schools. Supervisors and invigilators for derecognized schools would be solely appointed, from outside the schools, by the State Ministries of Education concerned,” Areghan said.
Commenting on the council’s plans to curb examination malpractice, the HNO said the Council will decisively deal with examination malpractice of any kind.
According to him, the penalties for involvement in examination malpractice will always, without compromise, be meted out to erring candidates, invigilators, supervisors, schools, WAEC officials, etc, as would be approved by the Nigeria Examinations Committee (NEC), which is the highest decision-making organ of the Council that sits on examination matters in Nigeria.
“The Council, on its part, has rolled out several awareness campaigns, organised seminars for school proprietors, principals, teachers, students and other key stakeholders in Branch and Zonal offices nationwide to sensitise them on the ills of this evil. Similarly, we have made flyers, banners, posters and other forms of reminders to further keep the message afresh in the minds of all stakeholders,” he said.
