The Nigerian office of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has denied a report that it had adopted the Computer Based Testing (CBT) model for the conduct of its West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for this year.
The examination body described the report as false and misleading.
In a statement, titled: Youth forum rejects planned WAEC CBT Exams, WAEC’s acting Head of Public Affairs Moyosola Adesina said the examination body had stated last November it would conduct its first-ever examination using the CBT model in WASSCE for private candidates – first series in 2024.
The council said the Head of National Office (HNO) in Nigeria, Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut, had confirmed that the CBT model would not be applied to the WASSCE for school candidates just yet.
It stressed that there was still much to do to equip schools with the needed infrastructure and resources, as well as adequately train personnel to engage and cooperate with WAEC for the conduct of the examination.
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WAEC said it had had, on several platforms, outlined the mode for taking the upcoming CB-WASSCE and put measures in place to ensure that candidates, the examination environment, and the general public were adequately sensitised on the requirements and outlay for the examination.
The council said it was not unaware of possible challenges that may be encountered by candidates during the conduct of the examination, hence a trial test and a free mock examination had to be scheduled to be done on WAEC’s designated platforms for prospective candidates, whether secondary school students or out-of-school individuals, to familiarise themselves with the testing environment, prior to its commencement.
“As an organisation that prioritises excellence, innovation and professionalism as its core values, the general public can be assured that WAEC would not compromise its standard on quality assessment and global best practices, to ensure the smooth conduct of the WASSCE for Private Candidates – First Series, 2024,” statement added.