WAEC considering postponing May/June examinations in Nigeria

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) on Tuesday announced that it might postpone the 2021 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Nigeria.

WAEC’s Head of the Nigeria National Office, Patrick Areghan, said the coronavirus pandemic distorted the academic calendar so much that there is no guaranty the annual terminal examinations will be held on schedule.

“It will, therefore, not be possible to have the examination in May/June this year,” Areghan said. “A convenient International Timetable for the conduct of the examination will soon be released.”

Areghan said all stakeholders have been requested to keep their fingers crossed until they hear from WAEC on whether the exams will hold.

The Nigerian WAEC head disclosed that there was no reported case of any invigilator, supervisor, WAEC staff or any examination functionary that were infected with the coronavirus disease.

Announcing the 2020 private WAEC results, Areghan said a total of 7,690 candidates entered for the examination, representing a 38% decline when compared with the 2020 figure.

However, only 2,195 candidates, representing 30.11% obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

“The number of candidates that had five credits, including English Language and Mathematics may not necessarily be a basis for judging the level of performance in this examination,” Areghan said.

“This is because the examination is more or less a remedial one. Some candidates may just need only one or two papers, other than English Language and /or Mathematics to remedy their admission deficiencies.”

Candidates who sat the examination are now free to check the details of their performance on the Council’s results website.

The Result Checker PIN and Serial Number needed by candidates to check their results online are contained on the candidate’s Smart Identity Card used during the conduct of the examination.