WAEC 2018 65th NEC Meeting Outcome

The West African Examination Council, WAEC 65th Nigeria Examinations Committee (NEC) Meeting commenced on March 28th, 2018 actually came to an end on 29th March, 2018.

The NEC is the highest decision-making organ of WAEC on exam-related matters in Nigeria. It considering matters relating to the conduct of the WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2017 and 2018-First Series.

Below are the Full Outcome of the West African Examination Council, WAEC 65th Nigeria Examinations Committee (NEC) Meeting of WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2017 and 2018-First Series.

THE WEST AFRICAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL COMMUNIQUE COMMUNIQUÉ ISSUED AT THE END OF THE 65TH MEETING OF THE NIGERIA EXAMINATIONS COMMITTEE (NEC) OF THE WEST AFRICAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL (WAEC). HELD ON WEDNESDAY. 28TH AND THURSDAY. 29TH MARCH. 2018 AT EXCELLENCE HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTRE. OGBA. LAGOS

The 65th Meeting of the Nigeria Examinations Committee (NEC) of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), was held on Wednesday, 28th and Thursday, 29th March, 2018 at Excellence Hotel & Conference Centre, Ogba – Lagos.

The Committee, which is the highest decision-making organ of WAEC on examination-related matters in Nigeria, meets twice a year, to consider matters relating to the conduct of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates and Private Candidates.

Its statutory Chairman is the Chief Government Nominee on Council. Membership of the Committee comprises four representatives each, of the State Ministries of Education and the Department of Education of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, ANCOPSS and the Universities.

It also includes the Registrar to Council, the Head of the Nigeria National Office, the Head of the Test Development Division (TDD) and the Head of the Test Administration Division (TAD) of the Council.

During the 65th Meeting, the Committee received a report on Irregularity, Special and Clemency Cases arising from the conduct of the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2017, earlier considered at the 64th Meeting of the Committee and that of the WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2018-First Series.

The Committee also considered a report on the conduct of the WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2017 and 2018-First Series, as well as Irregularity Cases arising from the conduct of the examinations.

In the course of considering the various reported cases of malpractice, the Committee, after diligent deliberations, approved appropriate sanctions in all established cases of malpractice, as prescribed by the Rules and Regulations governing the conduct of the Council’s examinations.

It approved that the entire results of candidates involved in proven cases, which attract Cancellation of Entire Results (CER) be cancelled, while subject results of those involved in proven cases which attract Cancellation of Subject Results (CSR), be similarly cancelled.

In addition, some candidates will also suffer other sanctions such as barring them from sitting for the Council’s examinations for a certain number of years.

The decisions of the Committee will be implemented without delay and the affected candidates and examination centres duly informed by the Council.

However, the results of candidates who were exonerated by the Committee will be released.

Furthermore, the Committee considered Special Cases, Clemency Cases and Restitution Cases from the WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2017 and 2018-First Series.

The Committee also received a report on the Statistics of Entries and Results for the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2017.

In addition, it received and considered the General Résumé of the Chief Examiners’ Reports on the WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2017.

It also received and considered reports on the Activities of the Aptitude Tests Department (ATD), for the period October, 2017 to February, 2018 and on the Activities of the Research Department of the Council for the period November 2017 to March, 2018.

With regard to the General Résumé of the Chief Examiners’ Reports on the WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2017, the Committee noted the observation by the Chief Examiners that the standard of the papers compared favourably with that of the previous year and that the questions were within the scope of the syllabuses and ability of the students.

They also reported that the rubrics were clear, questions were explicit and the marking schemes were comprehensive.

The Committee noted the various shortcomings of the candidates as reported by the Chief Examiners.

The Committee having noted the alarming rate of Collusion Cases, and the concomitant effects of poor infrastructure in schools and poor supervision by teachers, called on all stakeholders in education to support WAEC in its effort to address the menace.

The Committee further observed that the bringing of mobile phones and other electronic devices by candidates into the examination halls to perpetrate malpractice have increased and therefore, urged Supervisors and Invigilators to ensure strict compliance of the rule that disallows candidates from bringing mobile phones and other electronic devices into the examination hall.

In addition, the Committee stressed the need for government at all levels to exercise the political will and clamp down on malpractice in public examinations adding that fighting the cankerworm should not be left for examination bodies.

The Committee commended WAEC for organising the International Summit on Examination Malpractice and urged it to organise periodic orientation programmes on examination malpractice for all stakeholders in education to help sensitise them with facts and figures on the harm being done by the scourge.

The Committee gave approval for the Council in Nigeria to deploy the Item Differentia Profile Application for the detection of examination irregularities in multiple choice questions with effect from 2019.

Finally, the Committee gave kudos to the Council in Nigeria for the introduction of an additional diet for WASSCE for Private Candidates, adding that it has helped to reduce the penchant of external candidates to register for school examinations and will as well curb examination malpractice.

Issued by the Public Affairs Department

Signed:
Demianus Ojijeogu,