As the Federal Government yesterday released another guideline for school resumption, it has said it cannot decide for State and Private schools on whether or not to participate in the 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examinations.
The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, during the Presidential Tax Force (PTF) briefing on COVID-19 on Monday in Abuja, gave clarification on the matter.
Nwajiuba, stated that there was no policy somersault on the government’s decision to stop students in the 104 Unity schools nationwide from writing this year’s WASSCE.
“The PTF never said here they were reopening any school.
“They only provided that assurance and that guidance.
“After FEC on Wednesday, Mallam Adamu Adamu, advised the public that based on information that the PTF and NCDC has proffered, that the unity colleges, because those are only 104 out of 19, 129 schools that will not agree, and in fact, it is not advisable.
“He (Adamu) went further to advise that we do not open those institutions for the use of exams.
And that perhaps, he advised since it was WAEC that proposed those dates, we’ll be engaging WAEC to reconsider the dates.
However, he (Adamu) said he is not in charge of Private schools anf schools that fall under the concurrent list and therefore, devolve to sub-nationals who can take a decision as to what will happen to their State-owned schools and whether they can participate or not.”
On whether if it is only Unity schools that were exempted from writing the WASSCE, Nwajiuba responded, “For clarity, Mallam (Adamu) said, the 104 Unity Schools are not available.
“He does not have control over the Governors; it’ll be unconstitutional to say he can tell the Governors what to do.
“You have heard from the PTF chairman consistently that we try to marry what we do with the Governors’ Forum.
“What we do at the PTF is to have a national response.
“So, the Governors may look at the data which we also have.
“It appears to me that they understand the same things we’re doing, but we do not want to impose anything on them.”
Recalled that the Minister of Education Adamu Adamu, had announced on Wednesday last week that schools will remain closed, and SS3 students who are suppose to be preparing for WASSCE would be exempted from the exams.
The Minister(Adamu) also indicated that government will prefer to forfeit the WASSCE which was scheduled to begin on August 4 to September 5, 2020.
