Candidates who sat for the 2024 May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and whose results were withheld due to reported cases of malpractice will learn their fate this Thursday.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is expected to either release or cancel the results of the affected candidates.
The candidates, whose results are under review, will be able to check their status on the WAEC portal using the same login details they used during the examination. Additionally, the outcome will be officially communicated to their respective schools.
This update was provided by Mrs. Moyosola Adesina, the spokesperson for WAEC Nigeria, during an interview with the Newsmen on Monday.
Mrs. Adesina explained that out of the 1,805,216 candidates who sat for the school-based WASSCE exam, a total of 215,267 candidates (11.92%) have had their results withheld due to various allegations of malpractice.
These candidates have been under investigation since the general results were released in August.
Mrs. Adesina further revealed that the Nigeria Examinations Committee (NEC), which is the highest decision-making body regarding the conduct of WAEC examinations in Nigeria, is currently holding its 78th meeting.
During this meeting, the NEC will review the findings of an earlier investigation and consider recommendations made by a special committee that was set up to examine the malpractice allegations.
She stated that the NEC meets three times each year in February, April, and October to review and assess the conduct of the various WAEC exams, including the May/June school-based exam and two other diets for private candidates, depending on the period in which the exams are conducted.
The ongoing 78th NEC meeting will continue until Wednesday, and a decision regarding the withheld results for this year’s May/June exam will be finalized by Thursday.
Mrs. Adesina emphasized that while WAEC understands the importance of timely results for candidates, particularly in relation to their university admissions or enrollment in other institutions, the council must ensure that all due processes are followed.
She stressed that WAEC is committed to ensuring that only candidates who are truly guilty of malpractice are punished and that innocent candidates are not penalized.
She added that the special committee tasked with investigating the malpractice cases considered complaints and defenses submitted by the affected candidates and their schools during the course of its investigation.
The committee has taken these submissions into account when making its recommendations.
Mrs. Adesina also explained that cases of exam malpractice can involve an individual candidate, multiple candidates, or even an entire school, and may relate to a single subject or multiple subjects.
She highlighted that some forms of malpractice, which may go unnoticed during the exam, are often detected during the marking of scripts.
For instance, multiple candidates may submit identical answers to the same question, indicating that they copied from each other.
“So, that is why WAEC won’t rush and will also not delay unnecessarily to decide on matter of withheld results.
“So, from Thursday, affected candidates will know their fate on their withheld results,” she concluded
Other candidates may be caught with prohibited items such as sophisticated wristwatches during the examination.
She emphasized that WAEC does not withhold results without valid reasons, stating, “There must be a case against somebody before results can be seized.”
