The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Nigeria today announced its preparedness and readiness to engage almost 2 million Nigerian students in the school-based WASSCE starting tomorrow 30th April 2024, TheMediaGood Newspaper can report. The announcement was made today during a press briefing by the Head of WAEC Nigeria in the Yaba Head Office today.
The Head, Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut noted: ‘I am delighted to inform you that WASSCE for School Candidates, 2024 will take place between Tuesday, April 30 and Monday, June 24, 2024 in Nigeria, spanning seven (07) weeks and six (06) days. The examination will be conducted in four WAEC member countries, namely: Nigeria, Gambia, Sierra-Leone and Liberia.’
‘A total of One Million, Eight Hundred and Fourteen Thousand, Three Hundred and Forty-Four (1,814,344) candidates from Twenty-Two Thousand Two Hundred and Twenty-Nine ( 22,229) schools have registered for the examination. Out of this number, Nine Hundred and Two Thousand, Three Hundred and Twenty-Eight (902,328) are males, amounting to 49.73%, while Nine Hundred and Twelve Thousand, and Sixteen (912,016) are females, which is 50.27% of the total candidature.’
‘The statistics show a further increase in the number of females and males respectively, compared to last year. However, on the whole, the candidature for this year increased by One Hundred and Ninety-Two Thousand, Nine Hundred and Forty-Eight (192,948). Candidates would be examined in Seventy-six (76) subjects, made up of One Hundred and Ninety-Seven (197) papers. About Thirty Thousand (30,000) practicing senior secondary school teachers, nominated by various Ministries of Education, will supervise the examination.’
In Nigeria, the NIN is a Registration Component. Dangut said: ‘In line with the directive of the Federal Government, the National Identification Number (NIN) was made a component of the registration process. Throughout the registration exercise, the registration portal allowed candidates to submit their NIN.’
He urged the students to prepare adequately for each examination. ‘The Council decisively deals with candidates and examination functionaries who engage in acts of examination malpractice of any kind. The penalties for involvement in examination malpractice are meted out on erring candidates, supervisors and schools, etc, upon establishment of culpability 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 nationwide, and organized seminars for school proprietors, principals, students and other key stakeholders, to sensitize them on the immediate and long-drawn effects of examination malpractice. Similarly, flyers, banners, posters and other forms of reminders to further keep the message fresh in the minds of all stakeholders and candidates sitting the examination have been rolled out. It is therefore, on this note that, I call on parents and guardians to encourage their wards to study diligently and desist from engaging in any form of examination malpractice. The mass media must come in handy, as the effort to rid our nation of this menace is a collective responsibility. The various Ministries of Education should call their principals, teachers and other officials serving as inspectors and/or supervisors, to order. School principals and teachers should sensitize their students on the dangers of this terrible crime against humanity. Every candidate and examination functionary must play by the rules, which are well stipulated in the WAEC examination Syllabuses and Guidelines for the conduct of examination, issued to schools. Erring schools would be derecognised; erring officials would be adequately punished, while erring candidates would lose their results, if found culpable’, Trek Africa Newspaper can report.
He also warned Rogue Website Operators, ‘We also want to sound a note of warning to all operators of rogue websites that WAEC will not condone their heinous acts during the conduct of the examination. Parents are hereby cautioned to desist from patronising these evil-doers who are hell-bent on frustrating the efforts of WAEC.’
It is expected that the results of candidates sitting the examination will be released 45 days after the conduct of the last paper, while certificates will be printed and issued to schools in less than Ninety (90) days after the release of results. Meanwhile, results will be released along with the digital copies of candidates’ certificates, which can be accessed on the Digital Certificate platform.