Govt introduces video tutorials for secondary schools

WAEC to publish names, photographs of impersonators 

The Federal Government yesterday introduced mobile video tutorials for Senior Secondary Schools to provide extra school learning process and make education easy.

Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau while inaugurating the innovation yesterday in Abuja, said the technology would encourage students to be more enthusiastic about what they are learning.

Meanwhile, candidates caught impersonating in West African Examination Council (WAEC)-organised examinations would have their names, photographs, as well as examination and certificate details published in national dailies and the council’s corporate website. This is to serve as deterrent to others.

This was part of the resolutions arrived at the 59th meeting of the Nigeria Examinations Committee (NEC) of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), held recently in Lagos. Mobile video tutorials, also known as School-on-Air is an innovation of the Educational Advancement Center (EAC) designed to provide mobile learning through instructional video.

Shekarau, who congratulated the organisation for the initiative, said it would help in keeping the teachers on their toes to give their best to the job. He said that the technology would serve as complement to what the students are being taught in class, adding that education was the best investment any nation could give to its citizens to ensure development in the country.

“Even if you are attending the school this will be an additional support to balance up what is being taught in class. This technology reminds us that education is everything about us, the more educated you are the healthier and patriotic you would be.”

“The greatest investment any nation can make for its citizens is education because if generations of today get educated subsequent ones will also be educated through them,” the minister said.

Initiator of the technology, Pastor Muyiwa Bamgbose said school on air is an innovation that enables students take their teachers with them wherever they go.

Bamgbose, who is the Chief Executive Officer of EAC noted that the mobile tutorials was easy to access because it is available anytime, anywhere and affordable.

Educational Advancement Center (EAC) a non-governmental organisation specialises in the advancement of the SSCE or ordinary level-graduating students who have a desire to pursue higher education in the university.

WAEC NEC is the highest decision-making organ of WAEC on examination-related matters in Nigeria and it meets twice a year to consider matters relating to the conduct of the May/June and November/December West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Its statutory chairman is the Director, Basic and Secondary Education, Federal Ministry of Education and chief federal government nominee on the council.

At the last meeting, however, the statutory chairman was unavoidably absent, and members unanimously elected National President, All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), Hajiya Fatima Abdulrahman, to act as chair.

Among other things, the committee also strongly expressed concerns at the alarming incidence of examination malpractice urging stakeholders to join hands in curbing the menace, just as it directed that several ad-hoc examination functionaries, who were indicted over their involvement or condoning malpractices during the conduct of the November/December 2014 WASSCE, be reported to the appropriate state ministries of education and other relevant bodies for disciplinary action, in addition to the sanctions imposed on them by the council.

A press release endorsed by Public Affairs Officer of WAEC, Mr. Demianus Ojijeogu, added that the NEC considered special cases, clemency cases, late cases, restitution, petitions and previous cases referred for further investigation from previous examinations, and also received a report on the Statistics of Entries and Results for the May/June 2014 WASSCE.

In addition, the NEC received and considered the General Résumé of the Chief Examiners’ Reports on the November/December 2014 WASSCE. It also received and considered reports on the Activities of the Aptitude Tests Department (ATD), for the period November 2014 to March 2015 and on the activities of the Research Department of the council for the period October 2014 to March 2015.

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.

In some cases, 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 specific number of years, and the decisions of the NEC are to be implemented without delay, and affected candidates duly informed. However, the results of candidates who were exonerated by the committee are to be released forthwith.

Drawing from the General Résumé of the Chief Examiners’ Reports on the November/ December 2014 WASSCE, the committee noted the observation by the chief examiners that the standard of the papers compared well with those of previous years. In the reports, the chief examiners reported that the rubrics were clear, questions were properly framed, unambiguous and within the scope of the syllabus.

They also opined that the marking schemes were comprehensive, fair to the candidates and that marks were well distributed.