Southwest states considering reopening of schools for WASSCE – DAWN

Officials of the six South-west states in Nigeria are considering reopening schools for students who will be writing the 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, an official said on Wednesday.

The resolution was reportedly made on Tuesday at a virtual meeting initiated by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) in collaboration with the forum of South-west education commissioners, special advisers on education and the state universal basic education board chairmen.

This development is coming a week after the federal government said Nigerian students will not participate in this year’s WASSCE due to the coronavirus pandemic. The federal government reiterated its stance on Wednesday.

But a statement signed by the Director-General of DAWN, Seye Oyeleye, said education officials from the region reached the resolution and showed their readiness to hold the examination.

“After careful deliberations, considering peculiarities of each state and options available reached a consensus on the subject matters and are expressed thus: On WAEC examinations; State Commissioners for Education have signified readiness to sit students for the 2019/2020 WAEC examinations.

“At the least, August 3rd, resumption for final year SSS3 students, states should approach the Federal Government at the first instance seeking the postponement of the WAEC exam by at least three weeks from proposed resumption. At the second instance states should directly approach WAEC to seek for an extension of the WAEC Examinations to week commencing August 24.

“All schools, when reopening should have in place incident managers and classroom wardens for every school and every classroom. The designation of the Quality Assurance Department for each state to issue a Safety Compliance Certificate to each school before reopening,” DAWN, largely funded by the South-west states, said.

In addition, the officials reportedly asked the examination body to consider the use of Computer-Based Tests and relevant technology to organise the examinations.

None of the six South-west states has confirmed the statement by DAWN.

PREMIUM TIMES made efforts to reach some state governments about the said meeting.

The special adviser to Osun government on education, Jamiu Olawumi, told our correspondent he was not part of the meeting.

He also said he was not speaking on behalf of the commissioner for education, Oladoyin Folorunso, who did not respond to our enquiries.

The Oyo State commissioner for education, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, is also yet to respond at the time of filing this report.