President Buhari has commended WAEC for its technological achievements in digital certification, biometrics, and online registration.
Buhari however, charged them to adopt the use of advanced technological innovation to resolve the rising incidence of examination malpractice and to reposition the WAEC curriculum.
Speaking during the formal opening of WAEC’s 70th Annual Council Meeting on Tuesday in Abuja, President Buhari maintained that examination bodies in Nigeria and the African sub region must move towards the next level of technological advancement to ensure economic growth.
The president pleaded with the council to do more in the area of technical innovation, saying that adopting an online testing method might assist lower current overall logistical costs and help bridge distance obstacles.
Buhari, who was represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, emphasised the importance of encouraging the teaching of essential skills beyond the paper and pen surface in order to prepare for the global economy.
Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Minister of State for Education, expressed his displeasure with “the endemic phenomenon of examination malpractice” and urged the Council not to give up on developing strategies and initiatives to eliminate the threat to the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination’s credibility (WASSCE).
While assuring the Council of the necessary support to improve its services and maintain the quality and credibility of its examinations, the Minister praised WAEC for consistently taking advantage of developments in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), particularly in easing examination-related operations “such as the electronic registration platform for both the school and private candidates examinations as well as result hosting.”
Mr. Pateh Bah, the WAEC Registrar, stated that the administration was “striving within the constraints of available resources to step up the acquisition of cutting-edge gadgets and software to check examination fraud and bring all the offices to comparable levels in the deployment of technology.”
