The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has solicited the support of the Nigerian Government to procure outstanding printing machine to help the council in its service delivery.
The Chairman of the Council, Prof. Ato Essuman, solicited for the support when he led his team on a courtesy visit to the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu in Abuja.
Essuman said that the WAEC new building and all the external works had been completed, adding that three of the machines had already been purchased.
He added that the outstanding machine which cost 3.9 million dollars needed to be procured to enable the council achieve its mandate of conducting effective examinations.
“As a responsible and responsive organisation, the council is always seeking ways of improving on its service delivery to stakeholders.
“The Nigeria National Office embarked on the establishment of a Digital Printing Press for the printing of examination security materials, the first to be owned by the council in Nigeria.
“I wish therefore to use this privilege extended to me today to request your kind intervention to enable us to secure the required financial assistance for the procurement of the machine,” he said.
Responding, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, promised to do his best to make sure that the Nigerian government support the council in achieving its mandate.
Increase in WAEC fees
The Head, Nigeria National Office, WAEC, Mr Patrick Areghan, while visiting its marking centre, said there had been a marginal increase of WAEC fees because of the country’s spiral inflation.
Areghan said that the conversion of naira to dollar was a misery saying that the upward review of fees was necessary to enable the council render its services efficiently to the Nigerian child.
“There has to be that marginal increase to enable us to do better services. The examiners are now happy as we are able to increase their marking fees through this marginal increase.
“The money actually went for the payment of examiners to enable us satisfy them so that they can do the job better,” he said.
He said that each student writing the examinations now have to pay N18,000 as against the former N13,950.
Deployment of Computer Based Test
On whether the council was planning to introduce the Computer Based Test (CBT) in the conduct of its examinations, Areghan said CBT would only be achieved if government provided the required facilities to enable it conduct such examinations.
He said that WAEC conduct examinations for over 20,000 secondary schools in the country and in 76 subjects and as such would be difficult to use CBT for its examinations knowing fully well that a candidate could offer as low as eight subjects.
In the same vein, the Registrar of the Council, Mr Pateh Bah, expressed satisfaction to works carried out by examiners in the centre for prompt release of its results.
Bah said that the examiners had worked within the time limit of 45 days to which examination results would be released.
Emmanuel Ukoh
