The South-West Region on Tuesday agreed that their students should sit for the 2019/2020 West African School Certificate Examinations.
The unanimous decision was reached by the six-state governments at the end of an online meeting initiated on Tuesday by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria DAWN Commission in collaboration with the forum of South-West education commissioners, special advisers on education and the State Universal Basic Education Board chairmen.
In a statement made available to newsmen, on Wednesday, by the Director-General of DAWN Commission, Seye Oyeleye, said the meeting jointly agreed on modalities for the 2019/2020 WAEC Examinations, resumption of schooling activities for SSS 3 students and other allied matters.
According to him, the focus of the meeting was premised on the need to jointly agree on modalities for the 2019/2020 WAEC Examinations, resumption of schooling activities for SSS 3 students, and other allied matters.
“The Forum, after careful deliberations, considering peculiarities of each state and options available reached a consensus on the subject matters and are expresses thus: On WAEC examinations; State Commissioners for Education have signified readiness to sit students for the 2019/2020 WAEC examinations.
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“At the least, August 3rd, resumption for final year SSS3 students, states should approach the Federal Government at the first instance seeking the postponement of the WAEC exam by at least three weeks from proposed resumption. In the second instance, states should directly approach WAEC to seek an extension of the WAEC Examinations to week commencing August 24.
Accordingly, “all schools, when reopening should have in place incident managers and classroom wardens for every school and every classroom. The designation of the Quality Assurance Department for each state to issue a Safety Compliance Certificate to each school before reopening.
“Encourage intense advocacy campaigns of the stakeholders – parents, teachers, caregivers, proprietress/headteachers, and the pupils on what is expected of them when schools resume.
“Only hostel/ dormitory accommodation attached to schools should be provided where available to ease logistics and travel challenges of pupils and teachers.
“Tests and health checks of all pupils and teachers as a prerequisite for accommodation.”
The forum also urged WAEC to encourage the administering the use of Computer-Based Tests while each state should deliberately intensify efforts and invest more in education technology.
The Federal Government had, on July 8, reversed its earlier decision for schools’ reopening for Junior Secondary School 3 and Senior Secondary School 3 students, who are expected to participate in the Junior Secondary School Certificate and the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations respectively
