CBT WASSCE Will Cause Mass Failure In The North – Arewa Youth Tells WAEC

EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum has expressed strong reservations about the proposed switch to computer-based testing for the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE), fearing it could lead to widespread failure among students in rural areas with limited access to technology and computer skills.

The forum argues that such a move would exacerbate existing educational inequalities and disadvantage disadvantaged students, potentially jeopardizing their academic futures.

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The National President of AYCF, Yerima Shettima, in a statement released in Kaduna on Friday, asserted that the CBT exams should have been optional, allowing candidates to choose between the traditional pen-and-paper format and the computer-based approach.

This, he argued, would have allowed students to opt for the format they were most comfortable with and capable of attempting successfully.

Shettima added that research conducted by the Forum in selected northern states such as Zamfara, Jigawa, Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa, and Plateau, revealed that the CBT exams had consistently led to misleading failure rates among students attending public schools, where computer skills were often not taught.

He stated, “Even the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board CBT exams have placed underprivileged students in a predicament as they struggle to answer questions in a format they are unfamiliar with.

“Many students who failed the CBT-based JAMB exams last year argued that their failures were a result of systemic failures, including insufficient facilities or network failures during the exams. Additionally, a lack of proper and adequate computer skills, coupled with outdated desktop computers that are not properly maintained by CBT centers further exacerbate the siuation.”