While revealing why it held the WASSCE results of 13 states, the West African Examinations Council revealed that only 616,370 candidates obtained credit in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. These candidates represent 38.68 per cent of the candidates who sat for the examination.
This means 61% of the students who sat for the exam failed to meet the required 5 credits including maths and English.
1,593,442 students sat for the examination, comprising 864,096 males and 729,346 females.
WAEC Head of National Office, Mr. Charles Eguridu who made the announcement also revealed that 118,101 candidates had their results withheld for alleged involvement in examination malpractice.
As for the candidates affected by the withheld results who are mainly government-sponsored candidates, Eguridu said, they would only have their results if their states showed enough commitment to offsetting the debts.
The HNO said, “After reviewing the situation, the council has decided that the results of government-sponsored candidates of indebted states would be released if such states endeavour to produce bank guarantees, so that the council will be assured that the fees will be paid. This decision is in appreciation of the general prevailing economic challenges in the country, and in order not to jeopardise the educational careers of the candidates of the indebted states.”
Eguridu, who urged candidates to check their results on Tuesday, noted that public schools whose results were not on the council’s website should consider it to mean that their states were indebted to WAEC.
Meanwhile, the Education Rights Campaign has condemned the West African Examination Council’s decision to withhold results of candidates from states that have defaulted on the body’s registration fees.
The ERC National Coordinator, Mr. Taiwo Soweto, in a statement in Lagos on Monday, described the directive as ‘insensitive’ and called on the examination body to reverse its decision immediately.
According to the group, withholding the results of candidates from affected states would be an ethical violation of the provisions of the Child Right Act 2003.
The statement read, “As a public institution, WAEC is obligated by the Child Right Act (2003) to make the best interest of the child the paramount consideration in all actions.
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