The House of Representatives has expressed reservations over moves to cancel the 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Nigeria, as recently announced by the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu.
Minister of State for Education Emeka Nwajiuba had, earlier during one of the briefings of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, announced that efforts were on to get Nigerian schools reopened, and that the WASSCE, usually conducted by the West African Examination Council (WAEC), would hold.
The House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Services while reacting to the decision on Friday said it was amazed on the announcement that “Nigerian students would not be participating in the forthcoming WASSCE examinations.”
The Committee via a statement stated that, “He (Adamu) did not inform the country if this was in agreement with other West African leaders or in consultation with the examination bodies, the state governments and other stakeholders in the education sector. The minister also did not also inform the public if the decision was the outcome of a meeting with all state governments that are in charge of all, but the Unity Secondary Schools that are owned by the federal government,” chairman of the committee, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, said in the statement.
“This sudden policy reversal is not good for the country. It is bound to create further confusion in the education sector, create disappointment and suspicion among parents, frustrate the students, and show to our development partners and Nigerians that the distortions and disarticulations in the sector are only getting worse.
“The reversal also shows that our policy makers may just be adopting a laid-back approach to the need to confront the novel coronavirus rather than taking proactive and creative steps to manage and contain it.
“We are convinced that if our policy of no boarding house, reconceptualising scope of exams, use of all classrooms and halls in the schools, quadrupling the number of invigilators, provision of facemasks, sanitisers and hand washing facilities are followed, the WASSCE can be conducted with ease and with no repercussions.”
