Kogiflame
•Records 81.7% pass in mandatory subjects
The West African Examinations Council(WAEC) has increased the registration fee for its West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) for both the school-based May/June and two other editions for private candidates from N13, 950 to N18,000 per candidate, blaming huge operational costs due to COVID-19 and high inflation for the development.
The increment takes effect with the current SS3 students, who will be sitting for the examination next year.
The organisation has also released the results of candidates who sat this year’s edition of the exam, presenting 81.7 per cent of candidates with pass marks in mandatory five subjects including English language and Mathematics.
It has also made provision for the candidates in the Southeast whose examinations were disrupted by people suspected to be enforcing the Stay-at-home order to retake the papers concerned with the private candidates for the ongoing exam free of charge.
The Head of the National Office of WAEC Nigeria, Mr Patrick Areghan, gave these hints, on Monday, in Lagos, at a media conference to announce the release of results of this year’s school-based WASSCE.
A total of 1,560,261 candidates sat the examination, out of which 1, 274, 784 (representing 81.7%) obtained credits and above in at least five mandatory subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
It is the first time in recent years that WAEC would record such a high percentage of successful candidates in both the school-based exams and that for private candidates.
Areghan said the results of 170, 146 (representing 10.9%) of the total number of candidates who sat the exam are being withheld in connection with various reported cases of exam malpractice, and their cases are being investigated to determine if to eventually release or cancel.
He said the activities of those he called “rogue website operators” and some social media platform owners, who post question papers online immediately after the commencement of such papers as well as the use of mobile phones in the exam halls in spite of banning the device, posed a serious challenge in this regard.
While noting that a total of 1, 539 candidates with special needs including visually (460) and hearing impaired(582) and 59 physically challenged sat the exam, the WAEC boss equally said the results of candidates who were sponsored by the state government that has yet to pay their exam fees in full would certainly not be released until such is done.
He, however, said candidates could now start checking their results on the council’s website, given at www.waecdirect.org.
Areghan added that the certificates would be ready for collection within 90 days.
Tribune
