•Council withholds 14, 756 results over exam fraud

From Gabriel Dike, Katsina

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released results of the 2017 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), with mass failures.

The results were released in Katsina State, yesterday, during the 55th Annual Meeting of the Nigeria National Committee (NNC).

Announcing the release of the November/December 2017 WASSCE, which was written by 131,485 candidates, WAEC’s Nigeria National Officer, Mr. Olu Adenipekun, said only 34,664, representing 26.01 per cent, obtained five credits, including English Language and General Mathematics.

Adenipekun disclosed the result showed a decline in the percentage of candidates who made five credits including English and Mathematics, compared with the last two years.

He added that the percentage of candidates in WASSCE, for private candidates, in 2015 and 2016 was 28.58 per cent and 38.50 per cent, respectively.

He also disclosed that the results of 14,756 candidates, representing 11.07 per cent of candidates, were withheld for alleged examination malpractice.

He said cases of withheld results are being investigated and the reports would be presented to the Nigeria Examination Committee for consideration.

The WAEC boss revealed that the 131,485 candidates, representing 98.70 per cent, had their full results processed and released.

The HNO said 111,763 candidates, representing 85.89 per cent obtained credits in two subjects, 98,506 others, representing 73.94 per cent made four credits.

According to him, 65,483 candidates, representing 49.15 per cent, recorded credits and above, in five subjects, while 48,824 candidates, representing 35.14 per cent, obtained credits and above, in six subjects.

Adenipekun  also said registration for the first series of WASSCE for private candidates in 2018 has started.

The exercise would end on Friday, December 29.

The examination, he said, will hold in January and February of every year and it will be urban-based.

“Candidates will be examined in 19 subjects,” he disclosed further.

The WAEC boss equally revealed that coordination meeting and marking of candidates scripts for WASSCE for private candidates took place on October 18 and ended on November 5, in 10 marking venues.

Meanwhile, the council, in a statement  signed by Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, Head of Public Affairs at WAEC, said while it is working at dispatching the results to various schools, students could also access their results online via the WAEC website.