THE West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced the immediate release of withheld results of exonerated candidates in the 2020 and 2021 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
This is coming two months after The ICIR reported that WAEC withheld the results of 170,146 candidates, representing 10.9 per cent of those who sat for the 2021 WASSCE.
In a communique released at the end of the 72nd meeting of the Nigeria Examinations Committee, signed by Acting Head Moyosola Adeyegbe on behalf of the Head of National office, WAEC said only results of candidates exonerated of exam malpractices were released.
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The communique stated that at the 72nd meeting, the committee received reports on irregularity, special and clemency cases arising from the conduct of WASSCE for private candidates in 2020, including second series and WASSCE for private candidates in 2021- first series earlier considered at its 71st meeting.
The committee also received and considered reports on the conduct of WASSCE for school candidates in 2021, as well as irregularity cases arising from the conduct of the examination.
The examination body authorised the cancellation of results of candidates proven to have been involved in cases of malpractice.
“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 authorised that the entire results of candidates proven to have been involved in malpractice cases which attract the penalty of Cancellation of Entire Results be cancelled, while subject results of candidates proven to have been involved in malpractice cases which attract the penalty of Cancellation of Subject Results (CSR) be similarly cancelled,” the communique added.
WAEC also disclosed that all those indicted for malpractice during the conduct of the examinations would be sanctioned.
The sanction includes a ban from sitting for the council’s examinations for two years.
Schools that were found to be involved in malpractices will be de-recognised for a specified number of years or have their recognition completely withdrawn.
Also, supervisors that were found wanting in the discharge of their examination duties will be formally reported to their employers and blacklisted while invigilators will also be reported to the appropriate authorities for disciplinary action, according to the communique.
The Nigeria Examinations Committee (NEC) is the highest decision-making organ on examinations related matters in Nigeria.
The committee said it would implement the resolutions reached at the meeting without delay, adding that affected candidates and schools were duly informed of the decision.
However, the results of candidates who the committee exonerated would be released without further delay.
Results of 170,146 candidates, representing 10.9 per cent of the total number of candidates that sat the examination, were withheld due to various reported cases of examination malpractice, Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office Patrick Areghan disclosed in a statement in November 2021.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance
I’m glad to hear that the WAEC has released the withheld results of the exonerated candidates. This will help to restore their reputation and hopefully prevent future cases of wrongful conviction.