The West African Examination Council (WAEC) which on Monday released the results of candidates who sat for the 2021 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), has decried the level of security challenges it encountered thorough out the duration of the examinations.
The council”s Head of National Office in Nigeria, Mr. E. Patrick Areghan, expressed this concern, while announcing the candidates results at a press conference held in Lagos.
He said, “The examination spanned seven weeks, between August 16 and October 8, 2021. Throughout the period, we were faced with serious security challenges in the South East (IPOB and ESN sit-at-home order) and banditry, kidnapping, insurgency, etc, in the north and other parts of the country.
“All these, coupled with the continuous effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic, made the whole exercise an Herculean one. ”
Areghan also explained that contrary to the speculation in some quarters that WAEC delayed the release of the results of the WASSCE 2021, the exam body actually kept it’s promise, in spite of all odds.
“We should be praised rather than being vilified. Nothing can be faster or earlier than what we have done. We do not release results without marking the scripts and processing the scores. We are grateful to the examiners for doing a good job within the stipulated period, ” he maintained.
An analysis of the performance of candidates in the examination shows that out of the One Million, Five Hundred and Sixty Thousand, Two Hundred and Sixty One (1,560,261) candidates that sat the examination, One Million, Three Hundred and Ninety Eight Thousand, Three Hundred and Seventy (1,398,370) candidates, representing 89.62%, obtained credit and above in a minimum of any five (5) subjects (i.e with or without English Language and/ or Mathematics;
“One Million, Two Hundred and Seventy Four Thousand, Seven Hundred and Eighty Four (1,274,784) candidates, representing 81.7%, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five (5) subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. “Of this number, Six Hundred and Thirty Thousand, One Hundred and Thirty Eight (630,138) i.e. 49.43% were male candidates, while Six Hundred and Forty Four Thousand, Six Hundred and Forty Six (644,646) i.e. 50.57% were female candidates.
“The percentage of candidates in this category in the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2020, that is, those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five (5) subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, was 65.24%. Thus, there is an appreciable 16.46% improvement in performance in this regard. He further stated that, “The results of One Hundred and Seventy Thousand, One Hundred and Forty Six (170,146) candidates, representing 10.9% of the total number of candidates that sat the examination, are being withheld in connection with various reported cases of examination malpractice.
“Of great worry here is the activities of rogue-website operators and some other social media platforms, who post examination questions online immediately after the commencement of the paper being administered. The increasing use of cell phones in the examination hall, in spite of the existing ban, and organized cheating in some schools, are other big concerns.
“All the cases are being investigated and reports of the investigations will be presented to the appropriate Committee of the Council for determination in due course. The Committee’s decisions will be communicated to the affected candidates through their various schools.”
The council”s helmsman also hinted that the results are being uploaded on the internet, and advised candidates who sat the examination and who have fulfilled their financial obligations to the Council to access their performance on the Council’s results website: www.waecdirect.org.
He however reminded indebted candidates, Schools and States that their results will not be released until they pay up.