WASSCE: Former Gov, Peter Obi Kicks Against Cancellation Of Exam

Former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi has joined the many Nigerians to fault the decision by the Federal Government to cancel the 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Recall the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu had, week ago, announced the reversal of the federal government’s decision to reopen schools for graduating students to take part in the WASSCE examination scheduled for August 4 to September 5 due to the rising coronavirus cases in the country.

But Obi, in a statement, stressed the need for the education sector to resume its activities.

“I hope the Federal Government realises how important it is that our Education sector comes alive with activities,” he said.

The former governor said the government ought to have come up with an effective roadmap that will see children back to school safely rather than cancelling the exam.

“More amenities, like classrooms, equipment, and invigilators, should be provided by the government to ensure that social distancing is well enforced among students,” he said.

“Working hand-in-hand with other ministries will give the Ministry of Education the much-needed synergy to work out a safe plan for the resumption of schools.”

MERIDIAN SPY reported days ago former vice president, Atiku Abubakar said the exam be allowed to hold as scheduled while the government put in measures to protect the health of Nigerians, such as mobilising all available public and private infrastructures including primary schools, stadia, and cinemas and alternatively prevailing on WAEC to allow for a staggered exam.

“At a time of the global COVID19 pandemic, it is understandable that an abundance of caution be put in place to save lives. However, caution, without consultation, and thoughtful action, may be counter productive,” said Atiku.

“1.5 million Nigerian youths write the West African Senior School Certificate Examination annually. To abruptly cancel this examination is to set back our nation’s youth, and place them behind their contemporaries in other West African nations. This is perilous, because Foreign Direct Investments and other economic indicators, are tied to the educational indexes of nations.

“Already, Nigeria lags behind other African nations in crucial indices, like school enrollment, pass rates, and out of school children. This action, will further create chaos in the public education system and exacerbate an already bad situation.

“Rather than cancellation, there are better ways to protect the health of Nigerians and prevent the pandemic from escalating. We could mobilise all available public and private infrastructures including primary schools, stadia, and cinemas, for the examinations.

“In the alternative, the Federal Government can prevail on WAEC to have a staggered examinations with a different set of questions for each shift. Doing so will allow WAEC Nigeria implement social distancing and achieve the goal of carrying out the examinations. A win-win scenario.

“I urge this administration to take into account that the lives they are trying to save will be further put at risk, because if this policy is not reversed, tens of thousands, and possibly hundreds of thousands of Nigerians, will breach social distancing rules to cross over to neighbouring West African nations to write their WASSCE, rather than miss a year.”