WAEC condemns downward performance of candidates in Lit-in-English

The Nigeria Examinations Committee (NEC) of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) has frowned at the continuous poor performance of candidates in Literature-in-English subject, calling on stakeholders to urgently address the situation.The committee, which is the highest decision-making organ of WAEC on examination-related matters in Nigeria, also appealed to parents to provide recommended textbooks for the subject to enable pupils prepare for the examination adequately.

The council, in a statement by the Head, Public Affairs Department, Demianus Ojijeogu, at the end of its 67th NEC meeting also stressed the need for various ministries of education to adopt the WAEC’s Chief Examiners Reports as a handbook for both teachers and students in order to improve teaching and learning in schools.

The committee also took unanimous decision on all reported cases as it affects the conduct of West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).The statement read in part, “The committee decried the decline in the performance of candidates in Literature-in-English with less than 25 per cent pass rate at Grades A1 to C6 and called on relevant stakeholders to arrest the ugly trend. To this end, the committee appealed to parents to provide the recommended texts for their children and ensure that they study them for the examination.

“In the course of considering the various reported cases of malpractice, the committee, after diligent deliberations, approved appropriate sanctions in all established cases of malpractice, as prescribed by the rules and regulations governing the conduct of the council’s examinations.

“It approved that the entire results of candidates involved in proven cases, which attract Cancellation of Entire Results (CER) be cancelled, while subject results of those involved in proven cases which attract Cancellation of Subject Results (CSR), be similarly cancelled. In addition, some candidates will also suffer other sanctions such as barring them from sitting for the Council’s examinations for a certain number of years.”However, the results of candidates who were exonerated by the Committee will be released.

They also noted that the WASSCE for private candidates, first series is gaining acceptance as more candidates registered for the 2019 diet than the maiden edition in 2018.