After paying N12.6m examination fees, WAEC stops over 700 students from writing SSCE 

Not less than 701 students were denied the chance of sitting for the ongoing 2022 West African Senior School Certificate Examination in Kaduna state after paying total sum of N12.61million WAEC fees.

Blueprint investigations revealed that the students, from nine secondary schools in the state, five government and four private schools, were stopped from writing the exams because the uploading of their Continuous Assessment (CASS) in the WAEC portal failed and the portal was shut by the examination body at the end of the deadline. 

Though WAEC called some of the affected schools’ attention to the failed uploading on April 1, 2022, giving them ample time to rectify the anomaly, all entreaties to the WAEC Zonal Coordinator for North West, Mr Audu Paiku, to reopen the portal for them to upload the Cass was rejected. 

The affected schools include Government Secondary School, Kuse (all 290 final year students), Government Secondary School Independence Way, Kaduna (all 150 final year students), Government Secondary School, Kagarko (110 students), Government Senior Secondary School, Iddah (100 students).

Others are Al-Bahmeen Academy, Kaduna (all 8 final year students), Kalhyatu AbdulRahman Bin Auf Academy, Jere (15 students), Great Panaf Schools, Kaduna (13 out of 62 students), ECWA Secondary School, Kubacha (10 students) and Government Secondary School, Mato (5 students).

When Blueprint Correspondent visited the North West WAEC Zonal Coordinator to know if he was aware of the challenge, he referred him to the Kaduna state Ministry of Education, noting that all the required information were with the state government. 

Though, our Correspondent did not meet the state Commissioner for Education, Hajiya Halimat Lawal, on seat on three visits, he was referred to the Permanent secretary, who confirmed the challenge.
He told Blueprint that he read about the issue on the social media, but he was yet to be briefed on what actually transpired. 

Kaduna state Ministry of Education caused a letter to be written to WAEC national office through WAEC Zonal office in Kaduna on the issue.
The letter dated April 12, 2022, a copy of which was obtained by Blueprint, was signed by the Overseer of Kaduna State Schools Quality Assurance Authority, Aliyu Idris, requesting WAEC to reopen it’s portal to allow the 701 students upload their Cass but the examination body refused. 

Government Girls Secondary School Independence Way, Kaduna, Great Panaf Schools, Kaduna and Al-Bahmeen Academy, Kaduna, while confirming the incident said they did everything possible to enable their students join their colleagues in writing their final exams but WAEC zonal coordinator did not yield.