Nigeria: OpenFees Insists on 2020 WASSCE

OpenFees, a non-governmental organisation that caters for the basic education of indigent students, has insisted that students in Nigeria should be allowed to take the 2020 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

OpenFees, Development Diaries understands, noted that since politicians are free to hold elections, following the easing of the Covid-19 restrictions, final-year students in secondary schools across Africa’s most populous nation should also be allowed to take their exams.

The NGO urged the government and key stakeholders to ‘stop the politics and take a stand’ to safeguard the future of Nigerian students.

OpenFees, in a statement, said, ‘We are particularly concerned that JSS3 and SS3 students in public schools, most of whom have not had significant learning because of poor access to online resources, would have to wait for another year before taking their final exams.

‘If the government can invest half the time and resources it wants to use to conduct elections, despite Covid-19, to provide a safe environment for students should be possible for these final-year students to take their exams without too much difficulty’.

The group also said that ‘there remains a heavy cloud of uncertainty and doubt over the government’s commitment’ after the ministry of education issued a statement on consulting with the four other West African countries in the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to possibly hold the examination in September.

Source: THISDAY

Photo source: Syracuse University

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