WAEC Rewards Academic Excellence, Inaugurates Customer Service Centre
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) recently held its 63rd annual council meeting where it honoured some candidates, who distinguished themselves in the May/June 2014 WASSCE, and inducted a new chairman. The council also inaugurated its customer
It was celebration all the way recently, as three Ghanaian students bagged the international excellence awards for the May/June 2014 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) at the formal opening of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC’s) 63rd annual council meeting in Lagos. The meeting was organised to enable stakeholders and member countries deliberate on administrative, financial and examinationrelated issues to ensure effective functioning of the council.
It was no mean feat for the award winners, who were selected from a total of 2,018,497 candidates that sat for the examination in The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, as they were called out one after the other to receive their cash reward and certificates.
The candidates were Master Hasan Mickail, 17, who emerged the best candidate in WAEC with eight distinctions in Mathematics (core), English Language, Integrated Science, Biology, Chemistry, Social Studies, Physics and Mathematics (elective) and a total score of 682 in the subjects. He also received the Augustus Bandele Oyediran award for the best candidate in West Africa.
Kenyah Blaykyi, 19, came second with eight distinctions in Mathematics (core), English Language, Integrated Science, Biology, Chemistry, Social Studies, Physics and Mathematics (elective) with a total of 680.4 in the subjects; while Master Henry Enninful came third with a total of 676.9 and eight distinctions in the same subjects as the others.
The three-day programme, which held at the Multipurpose Hall of the council’s international office in Agidingbi, Ikeja, kicked-off with the 20th WAEC endowment fund lecture titled, ‘What Else are We Writing on the Slate: A Holistic Preparation of the Youth’, delivered by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Liberia, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan; as well as the investiture of the new Chairman, Dr. Evelyne Kandakai and her the Vice-Chairman, Hawa Goll-Kotchie.
Emphasising on the criteria for the selection of the winners, the Registrar, Dr. Iyi Uwadiae, said the candidates must obtain A1 in at least eight subjects, including English Language, Mathematics, one of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Health and Integrated Science, as well as one subject category of core subjects.
“The eligibility criteria for distinction awards are those of excellence awards. The eligibility criteria for merit awards are the same as those of excellence awards except that a candidate may obtain a grade not lower than B2 in English Language.”
He appealed to member governments and other stakeholders in education to resume a fierce battle against examination malpractices to safeguard the integrity of public examinations.
“I am pleased to report that leakage of question papers did not occur in any office of WAEC in 2014. It is however worrisome that other forms of malpractices featured in the conduct of the council’s examination in all member countries. The fight against examination malpractice is rigorous and the weapons are expensive.
Responding on behalf of the honorees, Blaykyi said: “The euphoria is overwhelming and consuming, the feeling is indescribable. We are grateful to the teachers who are influencers, mentors, counsellors in our lives. This honour is not just for us, but for you.
“To our parents who gave us sleepless nights to ensure we prepare for the examination, we are grateful. The award is a source of motivation for our families, schools, and Africa as a whole. This is a lesson that hard work indeed pays.”
Delivering his paper, Ngafuan recalled his experienced when he graduated from high school in 1989 when the Liberian Civil War broke out and disrupted academic activities which led to the incorporation of some of his former classmates into the ranks of the warring factions and transformed to kill.
“I was troubled internally as I tried to reconcile these two contrasting sights and experiences of the people I thought I knew very well. Then some deep questions started racing through my mind. Firstly, why the war in the first place? Secondly, what explains the ease with which an academically excellent person can transition from good behavior in a classroom to horrible behavior in a civil conflict? What challenges bedevil African societies today and are we giving our youth the right preparation to meet those challenges?”
As the council emphasises excellence in the examinations, he asked, “Are we unwittingly de-emphasising some qualities that are critical to the success of the youth in the real world? What values are we passing on to our youths to make them better leaders of Africa in future?”
The minister urged WAEC and school authorities to promote the value of teamwork in the testing and evaluation system and to encourage the cultivation of research and creative skills as a way of contributing to the holistic preparation of the youths to succeed in future, aside the family, the peer group, the government, and faith-based institutions, among others.
The former Chairman of the council, Prof. Pai Obayan, said it has been consolidating on its efforts and has proved that international collaboration is possible.
“In WAEC, we have a consensus methodology and we ensure that all views are heard to arrive at quality decisions to sustain the council. There is effective support from member states. WAEC has been a success story, but one obstacle that we have is the integrity of our examination; examination malpractice requires a multi-prompt attack.”
He said the society should start attaching importance to value system so as to combat the menace of examination malpractice. “You have to hit the problems at the root. What WAEC has done is to stick to the culture of excellence. It’s like sowing a seed so as to reap the seeds of excellence.”
In her acceptance speech, Kandakai promised to pay attention to the council and the improvement of educational standard in the five member countries by looking at recurrently poor examination results, especially in English Language and Mathematics.
“Some countries still grapple with taking of WASSCE and there is need to raise the standard of excellence country by country and as a whole.”
She said another area of focus would be gender and Liberia’s sluggish payment of WAEC dues. “Though much of WAEC’s funding comes from government’s subventions, the council could generate more funds than it already does. WAEC can request government to undertake fund raising for it or request each of the candidates for the examination or the school to pay a minimum amount for WAEC every now and then.”
In another development, the council recently commissioned its customer service centre donated by Media Concepts International Limited, as part of its corporate social responsibility geared towards promoting positive social and infrastructure change and to help the council achieve its overall customer relationship management strategy.
Speaking during the inauguration ceremony in Lagos, the Managing Director, Mr. Babatope Agbeyo said: “The centre is a genuine demonstration of the council’s resilience in resolving candidates’ complaints timely, irrespective of their geographical location. It further enhances the existing cordial relationship and trust between the council and the candidates.”
The Head, National Office, Mr. Charles Eguridu, said the centre was started in November 2014 with a completion period of three months, adding that it was built to provide a quick response to candidates and the public.
He said it comprises offices, enquiries desk, toilet facilities and a waiting area; and is equipped with computer and internet services. While enjoining the private sector to partner the council and to invest in ICT development and innovation, he said, “The good news is that the council is in the process of replicating this project in all our zonal offices throughout the country. It will increase service delivery to our stakeholders and enhance the quality of our service on another hand.”