WAEC Releases May/June 2013 Inconclusive Results •N/East Candidates To Re-Sit Exams Over Boko Haram Attacks

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) yesterday released the full results of 1,543,683 candidates who sat for its May/June 2013 Secondary Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) with the assurance that candidates from the North East whose scripts were lost in the violence that took place in the region during the period of the examination, would have to re-sit them at no cost.

 The Head of National Office (HNO) of WAEC, Dr Charles Eguridu, made this known yesterday when he addressed a news conference in Lagos

The number represents 91.38 per cent of 1,689,188 candidates who registered for the examination.

Eguridu said 889,636 candidates obtained six credits and above, while 1,074,065 others obtained five credits and above.

The development represents a considerable departure from the past as 70 per cent of the students passed the 2013 WASSCE with five credits. According to him, the results of 145,505 others, representing 8.62 per cent, were being processed due to some errors.

“These errors are traceable to the candidates as well as their schools in the course of registration or writing the examination.”

The HNO explained that such errors were being corrected by the council to enable the affected candidates to get their results fully processed and released subsequently.

Eguridu disclosed that the council cancelled the result of 2,176 candidates. He explained that the cancellation was due to multiple entries by the candidates discovered while processing the results.

“In line with the council’s regulation, the entire results of such candidates who have been found guilty of this act had been cancelled,” he said.

The HNO also said 112,865 results of candidates, representing 6.75 per cent, were withheld due to examination malpractice.

Eguridu pointed out that the cases were being investigated and that reports of the investigations would be presented to the Nigeria Examinations Committee (NEC) for consideration.

Further breakdown revealed that 1,225,591 candidates obtained credits and above in four subjects, 1,353,273 obtained credits and above in three subjects, while 1,465,581 obtained credits and above in two subjects.

Eguridu said that of the 121 blind candidates, 117 attempted it while 24 obtained five credits in five subjects including English Language.

On the candidates affected by violence in some parts of the North, Eguridu said while the attacks lasted, it was discovered that some vehicles conveying the examination scripts of the students were raided by insurgents.

Information Nigeria recalls that Boko Haram insurgents had launched series of attacks on schools in Borno and Yobe states killing scores of students and teachers, and destroying infrastructure during the period.

Eguridu, however, said, “Where the totality of the candidates’ examination scripts are missing, there is nothing we can do about that but we would afford them the opportunity of re-writing the exams at no cost. We decided to release the results because we are aware that some candidates want to use it to gain admission to tertiary institutions.”