The House of Representatives has faulted the Federal Government’s decision to suspend the plan to reopen schools for pupils in graduating classes to take external examinations.
Earlier in June, the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 said the Federal Government, in what it called “safe reopening of schools,” had approved resumption of pupils in graduating classes, which comprises of Primary 6, Junior Secondary School 3 and the Senior Secondary School 3.
Later, Emeka Nwajiuba, the Minister of State for Education, during the press briefing announced that the 2020 WASSCE would hold between August 4 and September 5.
But on Wednesday, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, at the end of a meeting of the Federal Executive Council presided over by the President, Muhammadu Buhari, suspended the plan and said that all federal schools would remain closed until it was safe to reopen them.
In reaction to the new development, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, chairman of the Committee on Basic Education and Services criticised the decision to disallow Nigerian pupils from sitting for the WASSCE to be conducted by the West African Examinations Council for the 2019/2020 academic session.
Ihonvbere said, “The House Committee on Basic Education and Services received with amazement, the announcement by the Minister of Education that Nigerian students would not be participating in the forthcoming WASSCE.”
“He did not inform the country if this was in agreement with other West African leaders or in consultation with the examination bodies, the state governments and other stakeholders in the education sector.”
“This sudden policy reversal is not good for the country. It is bound to create further confusion in the education sector, create disappointment and suspicion among parents, frustrate the students and show to our development partners and Nigerians that the distortions and disarticulations in the sector are only getting worse.”
“The reversal also shows that our policymakers may just be adopting a laid-back approach to the need to confront the novel coronavirus rather than taking proactive and creative steps to manage and contain it.”
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and former presidential media aide, Reno Omokri, also kicked against the Federal government’s decision.
Atiku said,
”As a parent and investor in the education sector, I wish to register the fact that the Nigerian government’s policy of unilaterally cancelling the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, held annually by the West African Examinations Council, is not in Nigeria’s best interest.”
“At a time of the global COVID19 pandemic, it is understandable that an abundance of caution be put in place to save lives. However, caution, without consultation, and thoughtful action, may be counter productive.”
“1.5 million Nigerian youths write the West African Senior School Certificate Examination annually. To abruptly cancel this examination is to set back our nation’s youth, and place them behind their contemporaries in other West African nations. This is perilous, because Foreign Direct Investments and other economic indicators, are tied to the educational indexes of nations.”
“Already, Nigeria lags behind other African nations 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.”
“Rather than cancellation, there are better ways to protect the health of Nigerians and prevent the pandemic from escalating. We could mobilise all available public and private infrastructures including primary schools, stadia, and cinemas, for the examinations. In the alternative, the Federal Government can prevail on WAEC to have a staggered examinations with a different set of questions for each shift. Doing so will allow WAEC Nigeria implement social distancing and achieve the goal of carrying out the examinations. A win-win scenario.”
“I urge this administration to take into account that the lives they are trying to save will be further put at risk, because 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.”
Reno in his reaction emphasized that Nigeria’s education system does not have the capacity to handle an overwhelming number of students who would be ready to take the examination next year. He wrote
”1.5 million Nigerians write WASSCE every year. Nigeria does not have the capacity to hold WAEC exams for 3 million people next year. What this means is that, if this policy is not reversed, every Nigerian child will miss a year, not just the final year students.”
“Edo has 2,210,534 voters, while Ondo has 1,822,346. A total of 4,032,880. WAEC has 1.5 million registered students in Nigeria. WAEC exams takes 5 hours. Voting takes all day. So, what is the rationale for suspending WASSCE, yet go on with Edo and Ondo elections?”
“Ghana opened schools for final year students and confirmed that WAEC examinations will hold. Meanwhile, Nigeria suspended WAEC exams. That is because Ghana’s President, @NAkufoAddo is a graduate of @UniofOxford, and General @MBuhari has questionable WAEC status!”he tweeted
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