The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, has directed the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to deploy modern technological innovation to combat examination misconduct and reposition the WAEC curriculum.
While praising WAEC for its use of technology in digital certification, biometrics, and online registration during the formal opening of WAEC’s 70th Annual Council Meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.
President Buhari maintained that examination bodies in Nigeria and the African subregion must move to the next level of technological advancement to ensure economic growth.
What Buhari said to WAEC
The president pleaded with the examination council to do more in areas of technical innovation, saying that adopting an online testing method may assist lower current total logistical costs and bridge distance obstacles.
Buhari, who was represented by his Vice, Yemi Osinbajo, underlined the need of boosting the teaching of key skills beyond the surface of paper and pen to prepare for the global economy.
He said: “WAEC Curriculum and teaching must be designed to support this cause as this is the Africa we dream of, an Africa that breeds well classified strong people and innovative entrepreneurs.”
Prof. Ago Essuman, Chairman of the Council, expressed concern that public examinations had become a thorn in the flesh for examining bodies in the sub-region, noting that criminals were growing more audacious and imaginative.
Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, expressed his displeasure with what he called “the endemic phenomenon of examination malpractice” and urged the Council not to give up on developing strategies and initiatives to eliminate the threat to the credibility of the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
While assuring the Council of the necessary support to improve its services and maintain the quality and credibility of its examinations.
The Minister praised WAEC for consistently leveraging advances in information and communication technology (ICT), particularly in streamlining examination-related operations “such as the electronic registration platform for both school and private candidate’s examinations as well as hosting of results.”
