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Tag: West African Examinations Council (WAEC)

  • WAEC pledges collaboration on prisoners’ access to education

    WAEC pledges collaboration on prisoners’ access to education

    The West African Examinations Council ( WAEC ) says it will always partner relevant organisations to assist prison inmates to have easy access to education.

    The council’s Head of National Office ( HNO ), Mr. Olutise Adenipekun, said on Wednesday that such collaboration would enhance the inmates’ transformation and development.

    Adenipekun was speaking against the backdrop of the need to encourage educational pursuit in prisons nationwide.

    He said such pursuit would  assist the inmates to achieve life-long learning irrespective of where they found themselves.

    Read also: WAEC  official dies in hotel bathroom

    According to the WAEC boss, there is life after prison and, therefore, the need to encourage the inmates to acquire education.

    “Education in the prisons is an area I am passionate about as a key stakeholder in the education sector.

    “If anyone should find himself or herself behind the bars, that does not mean the end of the world for such.

    “So, WAEC as an organisation, has brought into the vision that behind the bars life must continue.

    “Because after getting out of prison, they still come back to the society to carry on with normal life.

    “That is why we should partner those organisations that may want to assist the inmates to access education and other external examinations such as the West African Senior School Certificate Examination ( WASSCE ) for private candidates,’’ he said.

    Adenipekun added that the council would continue to partner the various prison commands on the need for them to establish examination centres located within prison facilities with education officers attached to them.

    He noted that the education officers had been working in collaboration with the council across the country.

    “So, we are prepared to continue to inspect and give approval to more examination centres in prison facilities to train and teach inmates to be able to write our examinations as private candidates,’’ Adenipekun said.

    NAN

  • WAEC to re-introduce e-marking for tests

    WAEC to re-introduce e-marking for tests

    In an effort to broaden its scope, the West African Examinations Council ( WAEC ) International Office (WIO) in Lagos, says it was set to re-introduce electronic marking for its tests.

    The Head of the Office, Mr Adelowo Maliki, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos.

    According to him, the marking before now was done with some foreign partners based in the United Kingdom.

    “We started this electronic marking in 2014 through to 2015, only for us to suspend it in 2016, due to high costs as regards the high exchange rate.

    “But now, we are set to bring it back as we have gotten all necessary approvals from the council’s committee meetings and the council itself.

    “This led to our trying to develop our own in-house and by the grace of God, the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination ( WASSCE ) for private candidates would be marked electronically.

    “However, we will not be marking all the subjects through this mode, just some selected ones.

    “So as soon as this examination is concluded, we will kick start marking electronically,’’ he said.

    According to him, such mode of marking would further ensure test realiability.

    “Here, you can be sure that if two people mark the same paper, they will arrive at the same scoring.

    “So it will increase test reliability, which means that even for different people, there will be little or no deviation from what they awarded because this one is electronically done and if you are not doing it according to laid down rules, it shuts you off automatically on its own.

    “At that point, you realise you are not doing the right thing and so if every paper can be done electronically, it is going to be the best,’’ Maliki explained.

    He added that the marking mode was actually the best but costly.

    Maliki, however, noted that gradually, the office intends to spread the marking mode across all subjects and papers.

    “When we do some papers and discover we are able to absorb the costs, we will increase and with time, maybe as we are doing it and getting results, government may also want to invest in and be part of it,’’ he said.

    NAN reports that the county’s Head, National Office of WAEC, Mr Olu Adenipekun, had, at a news conference in Lagos, announced that the council would commence the conduct of the WASSCE for private candidates twice a year, with effect from 2018.

  • WAEC Registrar harps on importance of mathematics

    WAEC Registrar harps on importance of mathematics

    The Registrar, West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Dr Iyi Uwadiae says the knowledge of Mathematics remained indispensable for further studies and national development.

    Uwadiae said this in his keynote address at the 54th Annual Conference of the Mathematical Association of Nigeria (MAN).

    The theme of the conference is: Mathematics as Key to Sustainable Change in Growth and Development.

    According to him, the essence of Mathematics education at both the basic and Senior Secondary school levels includes raising individuals that will comprehend, analyse, synthesise, evaluate and make generalisations in order to solve Mathematical problems among other skills.

    “Mathematics provides a powerful and universal language that is appropriate when communicating Mathematics ideas, reasoning and findings both orally and in writing, especially in this 21st century.

    “The progress of a nation is measured in terms of its ability to meet the needs of its citizens.

    “Every nation therefore makes concerted efforts to meet these needs in the most effective and efficient manner.

    “Nigeria is a developing nation and that is why it is still grappling with poverty, hunger, overpopulation, unemployment, diseases and many others and therefore, a lot needs to be done to tackle these setbacks and make it comparable with other developed nations.

    “A good foundational skill in Mathematics is therefore sine qua non to improvement in the various sectors and therefore as a subject, it should be given its pride of place in the school curriculum.

    “There is no doubt that education us a tool for national develooment. The knowledge and skills required for such development are acquired from the carious subjects and courses studied in school,” the WAEC boss said.

    Uwaduae added that Mathematics equips students with analytical and logical minds needed to learn the other subjects.

    He said that student’s achievements in Mathematics enable them to develop self -confidence and become self radiant.

    “It could be argued that the more self-confident a student is, the more easily he or she could learn any subject and the more meaningful contributions they could make to national development,” he said.

    Uwadiae said that Mathematics was the language of Science, Technology and Engineering adding that the developments in these areas and their contributions to global development were made possible by knowledge of Mathematics.

    He noted that understanding Mathematics was essential to understanding the output, usually presented in the form of computer graphics and sequences of contoured fields of the basic variables.

    “Thus, there is need for meteorologists to have good Mathematics skills as the impact of weather forecast on aviation, agriculture transportation , tourism and other allied sectors on national growth and development cannot be ignored.

    “Schools’ ability to improve students’ basic skills in Mathematics and literacy are important to economic growth.

    “Students enrollment measures do not reflect how much students are learning as knowledge capital is what matters in national development and as cognitive skills are highly related to growth,” he said.

    The WAEC boss further added that Mathematics is a prerequisite for admission into tertiary institutiobs for many courses and also for effective performances in some occupations.

    Accordingcto him, the majority of the candidates will not be qualified for admission into higher institution or be effective at work.

    “If such students are not encouraged and motivated to improve in their oerformances, a large number of them may drop out and the desired growth and development in our nation may be difficult to achieve,” he said.

    He however identified the fear of Mathematics, inappropriate teaching methods, inadequate qualified Mathematics teachers as well as inadequate infrastructure as some of the challenges militating against the development and mastry of the subject among the students.

    Uwadiae said that efforts must be made by parents, guardians, counsellors, principals and other stakeholders to change students’ mindsets about Mathematics being a monster subject.

    He also said that admission of students to study Mathematics at the university should be based on academic qualification instead of catchment area.

    According to him, one of the greatest tragedies of the past decades is the collapse of an education system which was founded on sound developmental goals.

    “It is imperative to address the litany of challenges of teaching and learning of Mathematics in the Nigerian education system .

    “The tasks ahead are numerous and daunting It is clear, that it will be imposible for these radks to be tackled by government alone.

    “The involvement of major stakeholders in all sectors of the economy will be essential if the goals and potentials of Nigeria are to be realised,” he said

  • WAEC attributes improvement in students’ performance to teacher training

    WAEC attributes improvement in students’ performance to teacher training

    The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has said its assessment standard coupled with teachers’ exposure to refresher courses enabled many candidates of  the 2017 May/June examination to make good grades.

    Mr Demianus Ojijeogu, the Head of Public Affairs Department, WAEC, Nigeria, made the explanation in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday.

    Ojijeogu explained that the council had been training its examination coordinators and assessors on the marking scheme prior to the examinations.

    According to him, the quality of teachers preparing the candidates and the examiners has also improved, especially those involved in coordinating and marking candidates’ scripts.

    He said that the teachers as well as the examiners were exposed to the exact things and standard expected of the students in examinations and thereafter pass same to the students.

    He further said that if the students were exposed to the right things to watch out for in the examinations and the standard demanded of them the final output would be optimal.

    Ojijeogu noted that the May/June 2017 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results and  students’ performance improved by seven per cent compared to the previous year’s results.

    He noted that 59.22 per cent of the candidates who wrote the 2017 examination had credit pass in five subjects,  including English Language and mathematics.

    He said the poor performances in previous years was due to the lack of necessary facilities and skilled teachers in the core subjects.

    He said in 2014 those who obtained five credits and above, including English Language and mathematics, was 31.28 per cent.

    ‘’In 2015 we had 38.68 per cent and then in 2016 it was 52.97 while in 2017 it is 59.22 per cent,’’ Ojijeogu said.

    Also, Mr Olatunji Jekayinfa, Sustainable Development Goals Desk Officer, National Mathematical Centre, said improvement in students’ performances was due to the on-going training of teachers.

    “Luckily we have a slight change in performance of the result this year. Last year we had about 52.11 per cent of students that had six credits, including mathematics and English.

    “But this year we have up to 59.22 per cent that had six credits, including mathematics and English.

    “So, we have like seven per cent increase in the students’ performance this year, I think that is the response to the little trainings that are on-going,’’ Jekayinfa said.

    According to him, teachers are being exposed to training and retraining and the country is reaping better results from students.

    He emphasised the importance of training for  teachers preparing candidates for examinations.

    “Training is the key and we have shortage of teachers, especially in the area of mathematics; qualified teachers are not available in the teaching of mathematics.

    “ But if these few ones are given the right training and resources to work, we can see more improvement,’’ he said.

    A teacher, Mr Sanni Bala, said good reading habits would go a long way in improving students’ performance and should be encouraged among the students.

    Bala said majority of students preferred watching films and engaging in online chatting instead of studying.

    He attributed poor performance by some students to inadequate preparation and urged parents and teachers to inculcate the reading habit in their wards.

    He also advised that students, who did not make good grades at the first attempt, not to be discouraged as there was always a second chance for hardworking candidates.

  • WAEC loses 10 computers to fire in Kaduna

    WAEC loses 10 computers to fire in Kaduna

    The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), says it lost 10 computers holding vital records and information about all schools in the zone when fire gutted part of its office in Kaduna on Tuesday morning.

    The Zonal Coordinator of WAEC in Kaduna, Fedelis Gaiya, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Kaduna on Tuesday that the fire which occurred at about 9. 50 a.m. probably started from an electrical spark or fault.

    “We are running on generator. When   they restored electricity, we saw smoke all over the place.

    “We are grateful that no life was lost because most of our staff members were out to their various examination centres.’’

    He, however, said that the incident will not affect the ongoing examination because the question papers were safe.

    He commended the Federal Fire Service, Nigeria Air Force, State University and State Fire Service for responding fast to the situation.

    “We are grateful to all the fire service departments that responded very fast to the situation. Otherwise, the damage would have been more than this.’’

    Deputy Controller of Federal Fire Service, Thompson Mohammed, reiterated the need for fire extinguishers to be installed in offices to reduce the rate of damages caused by fire.

    “I am sure if there were fire extinguishers here with trained men, the damage would have been minimal.’’

    He urged them to liaise with the service to train their staff on how to operate fire extinguishers, adding that “it is committed to discharging its duties effectively and promptly.’’

  • WAEC plans to release results 60 days after exam

    WAEC plans to release results 60 days after exam

    The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) says it plans to reduce the waiting days for the release of its West African Senior School Certificates Examination (WASSCE) results to 60 days.

    The Head of National Office (HNO), WAEC in Nigeria, Mr. Olu Adenipekun, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the waiting days will now be 60 days as against 90 days previously.

    Adenipekun spoke with NAN on the side-line of the council’s 65th anniversary celebration which began on Thursday in Lagos.

    According to him, the development is one of such steps being taken by the council to meet its mandates of delivering quality service to all stakeholders.

    “All hands must be on deck to ensure that the innovation, tagged: `Project 60’, is effective from this year.

    “For sometimes now, we normally use about 90 days, from the day of the last paper of the examination to release the result.

    “For the past 15 months, when I assumed office as the HNO in Nigeria, we have been working to reduce that ‘waiting period’ by 50 per cent.

    “This is what initially brought about what we had also called `Project 45’ but we want to take it gradually,’’ Adenipekun said.

    He told NAN that for the 2017 May/June WASSCE, which is about to start, the intention of the board was to release the result within 60 to 65 days.

    “So, this is how we came about ‘Project 60’; and in the coming years, the council will talk about ‘Project 45’, he said.

    He added that council was hoping that in the next two years, it would be able to release results of its examinations within 45 days after the last paper is taken.

    On whether the development was tied to the JAMB’s insistence that candidates should make their WASSCE results available as prerequisite for admissions, the HNO said that it was not meant to address any issue.

    Adenipekun noted that one of the major objectives for introducing project 60 was to reposition the council and portray it as an organisation that was delivering its mandate.

    According to him, WAEC should also be seen as being always ready to review its operations and delivery time.

    “This may also come as good news for our current SSS 3 students, who are about to write the 2017 WASSCE.

    “Basically there is need for our SSS 3 students to be happy because they are our principal stakeholders.

    “I am sure reducing the waiting period will even make them happier,’’ he said.

     

  • WAEC to conduct examination for private candidates twice every year

    WAEC to conduct examination for private candidates twice every year

    The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) says it will soon begin the conduct of its examination for private candidates twice in a year with effect from 2017.

    The council Registrar, Dr Iyi Uwadiae, spoke with journalists on the sidelines of the council’s “Registrar’s Staff Appraisal Committee’’ meeting on Wednesday in Accra, Ghana.

    Uwadiae said, “The West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for private candidates known as the November/December diet for private candidates will now be conducted in January/February and August/September.’’

    According to him, the measure is to ensure that many private candidates, who desire the certificate for various purposes, will have the opportunity of writing the examination and acquire the certificate.

    “We have concluded arrangements to commence writing of our WASSCE for private candidates twice a year from 2017. “This will take place in January /February and August/September every year in all the member countries.

    “This development, however, does not affect that of the school candidates, popularly called May/June.

    “That one remains once a year for all school candidates,’’ Uwadiae said.

    He explained that administering the WASSCE for private candidates twice a year was part of the projections of the council in 2017.

    According to him, as part of its mandate to render qualitative service to all member nations, the council is looking forward to a more rewarding 2017.

    “That is the essence of this meeting, which brings all the Heads of National Offices (HNO) from member countries together.

    “This meeting takes place once a year to discuss the appraisals of the international staff in member countries and recommend members of staff that are due for promotion.

    “During the meeting too, there is also a follow-up action on staff with negative appraisals after which recommendations from the committee are forwarded to the international committee for ratifications.

    “All these are parts of what we do in order to make the activities of the council more relevant and beneficial to our people,’’ he said.

    Uwadiae lauded the HNOs for their resilience, doggedness and dedication in the face of peculiar challenges in their respective countries and for ensuring a smooth conduct of the examinations.

    Describing them as the council’s foot soldiers, the registrar thanked the HNOs for the support accorded him as the overall head of the regional examination body.

    “As foot soldiers of the council, I must say that they have done well and deserve the commendation of the council as we look forward to a better 2017.

    “They (HNOs) have been meeting the mandate of conducting and releasing results of the various examinations within the stipulated periods and coordinating activities in their respective national offices,’’ he said.

    Uwadiae said that WAEC was also looking forward to conducting its examination in many other countries with English speaking students, studying with Nigeria curriculum as possible.

    “We are open to any country in Africa which desire to have us set an examination for students, who are being taught English and uses Nigeria curriculum.

    “As long as these countries have all requisites needed for the conduct of our examination on ground, we will be there to carry out our mandate.

    “For instance, we are currently rendering such services to some French speaking countries like Togo, Benin Republic and Cote d’ Ivoire.

    “These countries approached the council and we are doing that for their English speaking students who want our certificates,’’ he said.

  • Buhari swears in Onnoghen as Acting CJN

    Buhari swears in Onnoghen as Acting CJN

    • Seeks judiciary’s cooperation in fight against corruption, insecurity, economy boost

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday swore in Walter Samuel Onnoghen (Cross River) as the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).

    At the occasion in the Council Chamber of the State House, the President sought for the judiciary’s cooperation in the fight against corruption, insecurity, and to boost the Nigerian economy.

    He said: “I congratulate the new acting CJN to come at a time that the institution that he is going to head to play his role of the constitutional bodies after the executive the judiciary and legislature at this trying time for our nation.

    “Trying time in the sense of the three identifiable problems this country is facing . Physical security, the problem of economy and corruption.

    “In this room contains the constitutional bodies that are responsible for bringing Nigeria back into line in terms of security and managing it efficiently while making sure that the economy is resuscitated and that security of doing business at all stages in the country is free and fair.” He added

    He said that he was honored to say goodbye to the immediate past CJN, Mahmud Muhammed, who just retired from office.

    Congratulating him for the time spent in the position, the President wished him best of luck in his retired life.

    Onnoghen was sworn in based on Section 230 subsection (iv) and Section 231 subsection (I) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.

    As the most senior justice of the Supreme Court, he took over from the immediate past CJN.

    His appointment is due for confirmation by the Senate.

    Speaking at the occasion, he thanked God for making it possible for him to be sworn in as the Acting CJN.

    Towards having a befitting judiciary for the country, he pledged his support to Buhari’s anti-corruption fight in the judiciary.

    He said: “In this state of our development and with your Programme in tow, I assure you of the full cooperation of the third arm of government in the continuation of the war against corruption and misconduct in the judiciary.

    “I intend to carry on where my predecessors stop, modify certain areas but with the general ultimate goal of having a better judiciary befitting the nation Nigeria.

    “Thank you for the confidence repose on me and by the grace of God we shall succeed.” He stated

    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the ceremony, the immediate past Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Mahmud Mohammed said that there is need for all Nigerians to help fish out corrupt elements within the society, including the judiciary

    He said: “We agree, corruption is everywhere, but you see we are all Nigerians but in the judiciary, it is there we need the assistance of all Nigerians to help fish out those corrupt elements within us so that we could fight with vigour to deliver a clean judiciary for the nation to fight against corruption and to assist in revamping the economy for the interest of this nation in order to secure economy all over because the judiciary has a big role to play in every aspect of our lives.”

    Based on abridged profile of Onnoghen released to journalists, he was born on 22nd December, 1950 at Okurike Town, Biase L.G.A. of Cross River State.

    He attended the Presbyterian Primary School, Okurike Town between 1959 and 1966 and later proceeded to Accra, Ghana to attend Odorgorno Secondary School, Adabraka, between 1967 and 1972 for his West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Exams.

    He was at Accra Academy, Ghana between 1972 and 1974 for his WAEC (A-Levels) before proceeding to the University of Ghana, Legon, between 1974 and 1977 to obtain his Bachelor of Law Degree (LL.B (Hons)) and graduated with 2nd Class Upper Division and was among the best graduating students.

    He attended the Nigerian Law School, Victoria Island, Lagos between 1977 and 1978 for his B.L certificate.

    He completed his compulsory National Youth Service Scheme (NYSC) in July 1979.

    His previous professional appointments/positions held included: Pupil State Counsel, Lagos State, (1978 – 1979), Partner in the Law Firm of Effiom Ekong & Company, Calabar (1979 – 1988), Principal Partner/Head of Chambers of Walter Onnoghen & Associates, Calabar (1988 -1989), Chairman, Cross River State Armed Robbery and Fire Arms Tribunal (1990 – 1993).

    Others included Chairman, Judicial Enquiry into the Crisis between Students of the University of Calabar and Obufa Esuk Orok Community, Calabar (1996). Chairman, Failed Banks Tribunal, Ibadan Zone (1998), High Court Judge, Cross River State Judiciary (1989 – 1998)
    Justice of the Court of Appeal (Nov 1998-June 2005).

    He was also appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria (JSC) since 2005. He is also a Justice of the Supreme Court of The Gambia.

    A Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and Fellow of the National Judicial Institute, Hon. Justice Onnoghen has attended several conferences and seminars within and outside Nigeria and presented scholarly papers.

    He is a member of the Body of Benchers and Life Bencher; Chairman, Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, and Vice-Chairman, Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee among others.

    Hon. Justice Onnoghen, who is currently the most senior Justice of the Supreme Court, is married with children.

  • WAEC records over 50 per cent pass after a decade

    WAEC records over 50 per cent pass after a decade

    ***52.97% make credit in WASSCE‎

    For the first time in over a decade the percentage of candidates who made five credits and above (including English and Mathematics) in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) reached over 50 percent.

    The feat was achieved by 878,040 (52.97 per cent of 1,544,234) candidates that wrote the May/June 2016 WASSCE for school candidates.

    Announcing the release of the results on Friday, Head of National Office (HNO), West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Mr Olutise Adenipekun, said the percentage that achieved the same benchmark in 2014 was 31.28 per cent, 38.68 in 2015.

    He attributed the improved performance to likely greater commitment from the candidates, their teachers, and the government, saying the council did not lower its’ standard for the examination.

    “There were slight improvement in 2014 and 2015. We want to believe it must have been a combination of many factors. WAEC will not compromise on our standard and I want to believe that candidates also put in their best. It will not be to their credit alone but to their teachers and the state government,” he said.

    He called for the improved performance to be sustained.

    “This trend of improvement should be sustained. We are looking forward to 2017 for improved performance,” he said.

    Giving a breakdown of the results, Adenipekun said 158,718 candidates (9.74 per cent) have some of their results withheld because of errors at the registration stage; while 137,295 candidates have their results withheld for examination malpractice.

    The HNO said results withheld for errors would be released once corrected by the council, while those withheld for malpractice would only be released if the candidate are cleared by the National Examinations Committee (NEC).

    “The cases are being investigated and reports of the investigations will be presented to the appropriate committee of the council in due course for consideration. The committee’s decisions will be communicated to the affected candidates through their schools,” he said.

    The results will be accessible to the candidates from today (Saturday). However, Adenipekun said those owing would be unable to access their results online. Some of those in this category may be public school pupils sponsored by state government. Nevertheless, the HNO said not many states are owing.

    “The website is programmed such that if a candidate is owing, they may not be able to access their results. But our doors are open to listen to candidates, whether sponsored by states or not, so they are not at disadvantage,” he said.

  • FG directs schools to teach IRS, CRK separately

    FG directs schools to teach IRS, CRK separately

    The Federal Government on Wednesday directed secondary schools to ensure that Islamic Religious Studies (IRS) and Christian Religious Studies (CRK) are taught as separate subjects.

    Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu gave the directive in a statement issued in Abuja by the ministry’s Deputy Director (Press), Ben Bem-Gong.

    According to the statement, the directive became imperative because of speculation regarding the merging of the two subjects.

    The statement quoted the minster saying that students would not be compelled to study the two subjects, adding that secondary school students are at liberty to choose any of the two subjects depending on their religious beliefs.

    The statement said: “The directive has become necessary following weeks of speculations in the social and conventional media networks across the country that the two subjects have been merged into one.

    The confusion was created by a publisher who produced a book on the subject, combining Islamic Religious Studies (IRS) and Christian Religious Studies (CRK), which is being used in some private secondary schools.

    “There is no compulsion in the study of the two religions. Secondary school students are at liberty to choose any of the two subjects depending on their religious leanings.

    “The Christian Religious Studies and Islamic Religious Studies have remained separate subjects in the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO).

    “If such a change has occurred (merger of IRS & CRS), the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), National Examinations Council (NECO) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) would have reflected same in their programmes and examinations.”