By Eric Elezuo

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has declared its readiness and preparedness to conduct the first ever Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for privates candidates between January 31 and February 17, 2024 across the country. The first exam is kicking off with a total of 8285 candidates comprising 3,949 male, and 4336 female.

The Council made the revelations on Monday through its Head of National Office, Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut while addressing members of the press after the WAEC office in Lagos.

Dangut, who assumed office in October 2023, and was addressing the press for the first time as HNO, said that the boast about preparedness is a consequence of the training already given to the well selected officials to conduct the exams, allocation of CBT approved centres, and provision of adequate facilities, including power and other basic requirements.

“The CBT centres where the examination would be hosted across the nation were inspected with checklists and equipped with servers for the duration of the conduct of the examination,” Dangut said.

He reiterated that the exam will be delivered hybrid mode, which “entails that, the Objective or Multiple Choice questions will be rendered on-screen and candidates are required to give their responses on the screen. The Essay and Practical questions will be rendered on-screen, likewise, but candidates will be required to give their responses using the answer booklets provided.”

Dangut also informed the public that the candidates will be examined from a total of 19 subjects while the results of the exam will be released 45 days after the last paper is written.

While urging the candidates to play by the rules during the exams, he informed that WAEC, “in keeping with its vision of being a world-class examining body and its core value of innovation, has taken this bold step to offer candidates a viable alternative to the Pen and Paper model of examinations while giving its stakeholders and publics, a view of the great potentials that exist in Computer-based approach to assessments.”

Speaking on the resistance encountered at the announcement of the CB exam, Dangut mantained that it only served as fuel for the Council to forge ahead on its course to conduct the CB-WASSCE.

He therefore, wished the candidates the best of luck in the exams while appreciating relevant stakeholders in the education sector including the ministers of education and education ministries across the nation.