The Federal Government on Thursday in Abuja, gave indication that final year Secondary School Students may be considered to sit for the General Certificate Examination (GCE) in November if the West African Examination Council (WAEC) does not shift the date of its exams.
In a 52nd Joint National briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, the minister of Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, while answering questions from journalist, hinted that government would again meet with stakeholders on July 30, to review the guidelines, provisions and preparation for safe reopening of schools.
The Minister said that if Nigeria cannot convince WAEC to shift its examinations as requested for by the Federal Government, then, sitting for the GCE may become the only alternative for Nigeria students.
“Should Nigeria be able to meet up with the WAEC timetable, there was already a negotiated timeline to move local language subjects such as Ibo, Yoruba and Hausa behind to allow all participating countries the needed time to write the general subjects at the same time.
“WAEC unfortunately, is unable to wholesomely move the exams but we have also worked out a negotiated time line with WAEC on what we call peculiar Nigeria subjects that are only held in Nigeria such as Ibo, Hausa and Yoruba.
“The Ghanaians will take examinations peculiar to them. But they are all in the first part of the time table so we will work a domestication module that will take our peculiar subjects behind after we have done generals, “Nwajiuba said.
On the Oyo State Government cancelling third term, Nwajiuba added that the education is on concurrent list and that is the reason the states are expected to work together on common front especially on the COVID-19 crisis, the states were at liberty to evolve some measures on their own.
The imbroglio in the Nigeria educational system has taken several twist, with the ministry of education, the States Government, and the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) yet to reach an agreement on a date for certification/ exit exams for Nigeria students.
