No fewer than 8,285 candidates have registered for the first ever Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for Private Candidates, 2024 (First Series), which is scheduled to hold from January 31 to February 17 in Nigeria.
The Head of National Office (HNO) of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut, disclosed this on Monday while briefing newsmen on the level of preparedness and readiness for the conduct of the exam.
According to him, plans have been concluded for the computer-based examination, which will be delivered in hybrid mode.
It would be recalled that in November 2023, the Council announced plan to conduct its WASSCE for Private Candidates, using the computer-based model.
Though the news of the innovation was initially met with some resistance, the Council said it only served as fuel for it to forge ahead on its course to conduct the CB-WASSCE.
The HNO explained that the hybrid mode entails that, the Objective or Multiple Choice questions will be rendered on-screen and candidates are required to give their responses on the screen.
Additionally, the Essay and Practical questions, he said, will be rendered on-screen, while candidates will be required to give their responses using the answer booklets provided.
He said, “As of today, January 29, a total of 8,285 candidates from across the Federation have registered for the examination. Out of this number, 3,949 are male, representing 47.66% while 4,336 are female, representing 52.3% of the total candidature.”
While the Council revealed that candidates would be examined in 19 subjects, made up of 26 papers; it noted that carefully selected examination officials have been trained to serve as Proctors during the conduct of the examination to curb examination malpractices.
Results of candidates who sit the examination, according to the Council would be released 45 days after the conduct of the last paper, while duly awarded certificates will be available on request via certrequest.waec.org.ng. Also, candidates can access digital copies of their certificates via the WAEC Digital Certificate portal by logging on to www.waec.org.
To help candidates, WAEC said it has made available its e-learning portal (https://www.waeconline.org.ng/e-Learning/index.htm) with materials that will demonstrate to candidates, the requirements for the conduct of the CB-WASSCE.
“We are set for the conduct of CB-WASSCE for Private Candidates, in 2024. We have and will always work hand-in-hand with the Federal Ministry of Education, the various State Ministries of Education, the Nigeria Police Force, other security agencies and stakeholders, to deliver a credible examination to the Nigerian Child and the general public,” he assured.
