Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has opposed the decision of the Federal Government not to participate in the 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) organised by the West African Examination Council (WAEC).
Education Minister, Adam Adamu, had said on Wednesday that Nigeria would not be participating in the regional examination, citing the need to ensure safety of the children against COVID-19 as the reason. The minister also said schools would no longer be reopened for pupils in terminal classes as earlier announced by the Federal Government.
In a statement on Friday, Atiku said that Nigeria should have reached an agreement with WAEC to stagger examinations with a different set of questions prepared for each shift rather than taking a decision not to participate in the examination.
Noting that it is understandable that an abundance of caution is necessary to save lives in a time of pandemic, he, however, said caution without consultation and thoughtful action may be counterproductive. He added that 1.5 million Nigerian youths write WAEC annually.”
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“To abruptly cancel this exam is to set back our nation’s youth, and place them behind their contemporaries in other West African countries. This is perilous because Foreign Direct Investments and other economic indicators are tied to the educational indexes of nations.
“Already, Nigeria lags behind in crucial indices, like school enrolment, pass rates, and out of school children. This action will further create chaos in the public education system and exacerbate an already bad situation.
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“In the alternative, FG can prevail on WAEC to have staggered examinations with a different set of questions for each shift. This will allow WAEC Nigeria to implement social distancing and carry out the examinations.
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“I urge this administration to take into account that the lives they are trying to save will be further put at risk. 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.”
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