The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), has warned students, schools, and exam officials to shun all forms of malpractice as this year’s May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) will commence next Monday nationwide.
It has also warned schools, candidates and their parents to resist the temptation of patronising both dubious website operators and “miracle” centres who would claim to have examination questions at their disposal or have a way of arranging specially for them.
The Head of Nigeria’s National Office of WAEC, Mr Patrick Areghan, gave the warning on Monday at a news conference in Lagos.
He said a total of (1,607, 975) candidates comprising 800,005 males(representing 49.76 per cent) and 800, 724 females(representing 50.24 per cent) are expected to sit the school-based exam from across 20, 221 registered schools nationwide.
He said warning the students, as well as the schools and exam officials, was necessary to let them know that grave consequences await whoever is caught cheating or attempted to cheat as far as the exam is concerned.
Areghan said WAEC’s exam standards remain intact and no excuse including lack of preparedness by students, not an excuse to engage in malpractices.
Areghan, who also complained that some state governments are still owing the council their students’ exam fees for last year, noted that both Sokoto and Zamfara States did not present any candidates from government-owned schools for the forthcoming diet.
He said only private schools in those states presented candidates and could understand why students in public schools in the two schools were not registered
Areghan also said the COVID-19 protocols as stipulated by the Federal Government would be observed at all the exam venues.
