Parents urge WAEC to release May/June WASSCE withheld Student’s Results in Bayelsa . Describes its action as deliberate oppression

 By Our Correspondent

Parents of students who sat for this year’s May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) on Sunday fervently appealed to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), to release the withheld results of their children without further delay to enable them apply for admission into the 2022/2023 academic session which has begun now.

 

The affected school’s parents who spoke to Global Overseer on condition of anonymity on Sunday in Yenagoa, described WAEC’s action as deliberate and a ploy to debar their brilliant children who got good pass marks in their JAMB’s examination results to forfeit their admission like last year.

The parents recalled saying that some of their children who scored very high pass marks in the last year’s JAMB Examination were denied admission as WAEC siege Mathematics in their examination’s results last year.

Describing WAEC as a profit making organization, the parents insisted that their children who sat the examinations in Private schools in the state are brilliant and never involve in an alleged examination malpractice as manifested in their JAMB Examination results last year and this year.

It would be recalled that the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) last Monday, in Lagos, released the results of this year’s May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

From left, Director of Administration, West African Examinations Council; Mr Yusuf Ari; Director of Test Development, Mrs Fransces Iweha-Onukwu and Head of National Office Nigeria, Mr Patrick Areghan, at a media conference to announce the release of the 2022 May June WASSCE results at WAEC headquarters in Yaba, Lagos.

 

A total of 1,601, 047 candidates sat the examination, out of which 1, 222, 505 (representing 76.36%) obtained credits and above in at least five mandatory subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, which is a notable decrease of 5. 34% from 81.7% of that of last year.

 Meanwhile, no fewer than 10 states out of the 36 states of the federation and the federal capital territory which are yet to pay for their candidates’ exam fees in full would have their candidates’ results withheld until they pay the money in full and likewise, a total of 364, 564 candidates (representing 22.83%) of the total number of candidates, who sat the exam are being withheld in connection with various reported cases of exam malpractice, and their cases are being investigated to determine if to eventually release or cancel as WAEC claims.

The Head of the National Office of WAEC Nigeria, Mr Patrick Areghan, announced the release of the results and gave the statistics at a media conference held at the headquarters of the organisation in Yaba.

He explained that the cost of conducting its both school-based and exams for private candidates has gone up astronomically and therefore would ensure to get its money paid in full by the indebted state governments before releasing their candidates results.

But parents insisted that WEAC Wrongly Withheld their children results in Bayelsa pointing out that even in 2020 WAEC did the same mistake before releasing student’s results.

“After a three-day investigation, the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC), has disclosed that its highest decision-making organ (Nigeria Examinations Committee) has confirmed that some of the candidates who sat for its Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations in 2019 and 2020 were wrongly accused of malpractice.

WAEC, in a press release floated via its Twitter handle on Monday, stated that it would, without further delay, release the results of candidates that were exonerated.

“During the 70th Meeting, the Committee received reports on Irregularities, Special and Clemency Cases arising from the conduct of WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2019-Second Series and WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2020-First Series. The Committee also considered a report on the conduct of WASSCE for School Candidates, 2020, as well as Irregularity Cases arising from the conduct of the examination.

“The decisions of the Committee will be implemented without delay and the affected candidates and schools duly informed by the Council. However, the results of candidates who were exonerated by the Committee will be released,” it stated.