By Okee Sydney-Obiukwu & Chidozie Hanson
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) announced in a news conference, held in Lagos this Monday afternoon that; candidates who wrote this year’s Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (SSCE) recorded an impressive 79% credit grade in five subjects.
The sub-regional exam body beat its own deadline of July 19, 2017, which it had earlier given in a press statement it had issued late last week, by two days, in keeping with its new resolution to remarkably reduce the waiting time for the release of its results.
A breakdown of the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) results show that out of 1,559,162 (One million, five hundred and fifty nine thousand, one hundred and sixty-two) candidates that sat for the examination, 1,243,772 (one million, two hundred and forty three thousand, seven hundred and seventy two) candidates, representing 79.77% obtained credits and above in five subjects; while 1,084,214 (One million, eighty four thousand, two hundred and fourteen) candidates, representing 69.54% obtained credits and above in six subjects.
Further analysis reveals that 1,357,193 (One million, three hundred and fifty seven thousand, one hundred and ninety three) candidates, representing 87.05% obtained credits and above in four subjects, while 92.44% and 95.59% of the candidates had a poor showing of credits in 3 and 2 subjects and above, respectively.
A total of 923,486 (Nine Hundred and Twenty Three thousand four hundred and eighty six) candidates, representing 59.22%, obtained the minimum of credits in five subjects and above, including English Language and Mathematics, required for university admission in Nigeria . The percentage of candidates in this category in the WASSCE for School Candidates in 2015 and 2016 was 38.68% and 52.97%, respectively.
WAEC’s Head of National Office of in Nigeria, Mr. Olu Adenipekun, who made the announcement , further explained that; “the results of 214,952 (Two hundred and fourteen thousand, nine Hundred and fifty- two) candidates, representing 13.79% of the total candidature for the examination are being withheld in connection with various reported cases of examination malpractice.”
Adenipekun said he was glad that, “ with the upgrade of the Council’s ICT facilities, particularly, the recently commissioned HP Converged System – a Private Cloud, the capability of the Council’s ICT has now been enhanced.
“With the progressive review of our processes and procedures backed with the determination of the entire work force of the Council in Nigeria to serve the Nigerian Child better and faster, the early release of the results of the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2017, has been made possible.”
The WAEC helmsman further stated that in a bid to further engage the candidates and bridge the communication gap between them and WAEC, the Council in Nigeria on May 4, 2017 via a public/private partnership arrangement, launched an electronic information sharing and dissemination platform, called Candidates Interactive System (CIS) or WAECKONNECT.
Explaining that the framework is talkback Portal designed to allow the Council interact with candidates for the WASSCE diets before, during and after the examination.
“Registered candidates for different diets of WASSCE are therefore, encouraged to avail themselves of the immense opportunities the platform is capable of providing.
“Candidates who sat the examination will be able to check the details of their performance on the Council’s results website: www.waecdirect.org within the next few hours. The Result checker PIN and Serial Number are contained on the flip side of the candidates’ CIVAMPENS Card issued to all candidates by WAEC, and used by them during the conduct of the examination,” he added.
It would be recalled that the Council had instituted the ‘project 60’on March 16, 2017 during its 65th anniversary celebration.
Adenipekun had explained then that, the project was an innovation designed by the management of the council in Nigeria to reduce the waiting period for the release of results of candidates from 90days to 60days after the conduct of the examination for this diet, and subsequently to 45 days in all WASSCE diets.
He also hinted that the Nigeria National Office of the Council has concluded arrangements to commence the conduct of the additional diet of the WASSCE for Private Candidates from January/February, 2018.