2023: Stakeholders give candidates guides on WASSCE, UTME
By Gabriel Dike, Lagos; Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki; Felix Ikem, Nsukka; Tony John, Port Harcourt; Lateef Dada, Osogbo and Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Stakeholders have offered millions of candidates preparing for the May/June 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) some success tips. They also advised candidates to avoid certain things that would affect their performance and they should obey rules and regulations guiding the examinations.
For the May/June 2023 WASSCE, schools are still uploading their entries to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) registration portal. It is expected that over one million students would write the school exam. For the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), over 1,595,779 candidates registered for the 2023 UTME nationwide.
National Publicity Secretary, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Yusuf Ibn Ton, insisted that students would only get good result by working very hard, and determined to do what they are out for to do regarding the examinations. He suggested that schools should make all the necessary preparations, especially by providing enabling ground for students to study well and give them additional time and class practice for them to be successful during examination.
He advised students to practice more past examination questions to understand how to answer challenging questions and attend extra moral classes before writing WASSCE and UTME: “Students should avoid unnecessary things like traveling anyhow, watching movies and hanging out during the period, to enable them prepare better for the examinations.”
An educationist, Mrs Olusola Bankole, said: “Any serious student sitting for WASSCE and UTME should have been working hard from SS 1 because the Continuous Assessment (CA) scores for SS 1, SS 2 and first and second terms SS 3 are part of the final result for WASSCE.
“But UTME (JAMB) is a bit different. Students should read up and digest the English text, study and prepare towards the syllabus schools can also help by having good teachers who are versed in subject areas and can navigate students through lots of drilling exercises.
“Students should identify personal areas of challenge and seek a classmate who is good at it or the teacher to assist. Android phones, television, social media engagement should be avoided during the examination period. They are distractions. There should be a study schedule, which should be strictly followed.”
Former principal, Government College, Benin, Edo State, Elder Isaac
Osaro, said: “SS111 students must set the target of their expectations and work towards it. Schools must double their efforts to prepare them for success and organise special coaching lessons for the students.
“Students including those writing the UTME should steer clear of the social media and distraction from their phones. They need all the time to prepare for the two terminal exams.”
Deputy Director, Ebonyi State Secondary Education Board, Mr. Ogodo Mbam, said: “Students can get good result if they receive adequate preparation. They should be made to have courage, strengthen their mind-sets for success.
“Most times, students fail not because they are not intelligent or well taught but out of fear of failure. Some students fall prey to examination fever while others fidget even at examination hall and write wrong answers.
“Schools can help students by giving them conducive environment for effective teaching and learning. There should be no crisis of any kind among teachers or students may be as a result of money meant for the conduct of the exam. They should be exposed to past question papers because examination bodies always repeat questions.
“Students should study hard not depending on any miracle centre or mercenaries. They should obey the rules guiding the conduct of the exam.
“They should avoid examination malpractices of any kind and refuse to pay money to supervisors and invigilators who promise to help them cheat in the hall. Also, they should avoid supposed leaked question papers, they may be fake.”
Chief Fidelis Nweze, a retired Supervising Principal with Post Primary Schools Management Board (PPSMB), Enugu State, said: “For students to write WASSCE and JAMB and get good results depends on how prepared they are before they write those exams.
“Things have changed. During our time, we spent more time reading and reversing all we were thought in class knowing that we were going to write exams; knowing that there was no shortcut to pass exams except you read and studied hard.
“Therefore, students of this generation should imbibe the culture of reading, avoid the intake of illicit drugs. These are always detrimental to their preparation for exams. They should discard the notion of cheating and exams malpractices. If an average student prepares well with the help of the teacher the students will make a good result.
“How schools can help students to attain success in WASSCE and JAMB depends on the quality of teachers in a particular school. This is where the government factor has to play a big role, especially in public schools.
“Government must ensure that secondary school teachers are up to date in English Language and Mathematics. Those handling English, Mathematics and other core science subjects must be qualified and have education training.
“Students should study hard, read ahead of their teachers, spend their free time in the school library and laboratory, source and read past question papers for revision to enable them to pass and excel in WASSCE and JAMB.
“Students should avoid social media distractions, game betting and other social vices and focus on their studies.”
Mr. Chukwuemeka Eze, a teacher at Community Secondary School, Iheakpu-Awka, Igbo-Eze South Local Government, Enugu State, said: “If teachers are there and students are ready to learn, there is no way they will not be able to make good results. Students should be ready to receive lessons from their teachers before they get good results.
“School can help them to attain success in WASSCE and JAMB by providing conducive environment like teaching the students the subjects they ought to be taught at the appropriate time. They should also teach them according to the school syllables.
“Students should avoid phones. A student preparing for exams but such student is busy pressing phone all the time. Students concentrate on their studies.”
Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Rivers State, Mr. Collins Echikpu, advised: “For any student that wants make it either in WASSCE or JAMB, the candidate must bend down and burn the midnight oil. You must read your book, buy the textbooks recommended and follow instructions. Without reading, you cannot make it.
“The reason children feel they can make their results is because they depend on expo. Expo is not an examination at all. It is not encouraged.
“Teachers can assist students achieve good grades by teaching them to the best of their knowledge. Students should avoid joining unnecessary friendship and clubs in the school.”
Chairman, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Osun State, Alhaja Kojusola Adepoju, said: “The use of mobile phones is hindering the performance of students in WASSCE and JAMB. Examinations will be easy for students if they limit the time they spend on social media and devout the time for study.
“The challenge we have today is that most students are not ready to learn. The factors affecting that may be environmental or parental. If a teacher should be available to teach the students, we expect them to perform well. But if the students are not ready to learn, no miracle will happen. Teaching and learning go together.
“The school can only help students by putting more effort, especially in those core subjects like Mathematics, English, Physics, Accounting and Literature. There is also a need to improve on practical subjects. The teachers only need to handle those students more effectively in those subjects. They can have extra time for them apart from the class period.
“Students should be careful in using mobile phones. They should avoid using more time on social media. This is affecting their performance in no small way. If they can avoid this distraction, the examination will be easy for them.”
Principal of St John Academy, Owerri, Imo State, Chief Bernard Ozurumba, said: “WASSCE and UTME are terminal examinations. Candidates are required to put in their best to achieve good grade and high score.
“This is the time for schools and teachers to prepare the students well as their achievement will rub off on the school. Special lesson must be organised for students and made to answer past WASSCE and UTME questions.
“Candidates should drop their phones and avoid social media until they are through with the two crucial examinations that will shape their future. Parents and schools should monitor the students to avoid distraction.”