The West African Examinations Council has said it is working on Computer-Based Tests and will consider it for the objective papers in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination.
The council’s Registrar, Dr Iyi Uwadiae, said this in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja during the 37th annual conference of the Association for Educational Assessment in Africa which started on Monday.
The theme of the conference was, “Innovations in Educational Assessment.”
The registrar added that before the CBT takes over, the council must be sure that the five-member countries, their governments and the schools had been able to provide the necessary facilities, and candidates were also ready.
He said, “We are working very hard on the CBT. Right now, we have about three to four centres that are fully equipped for CBT. But one thing you must know is that our exam is an achievement test, not a selection test. So, we have essays, we have practicals and we have objectives.
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“But what we are trying to do first and foremost is to ensure that the objective component of our examination is exposed to CBT. But while we are doing that, we have to also look at the readiness of the various schools. But we are working toward that; we are sensitising the various governments in Nigeria and in the other countries.
“So with time, we will be there. We cannot give targets for now. This is because whatever you do in one country, you must do in the others. The schools, the countries, the students and the candidates must all be prepared.
“We are in charge of five countries. Malpractices are everywhere and in the five-member countries. You know of course that our exam is a high stake exam and people want to pass; yet they have not prepared. So especially, students who get themselves involved in malpractices are those who did not prepare for the exams.”
The registrar added that WAEC was focusing more on Information and Communication Technology in the aspects of education.
“That is why we bring experts from all over the world to this conference to share new ideas. As an examination body, we don’t want to be left behind. So, after the conference, we go back to the drawing board and ask what we have been doing right and what we have not,” he added.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Sonny Echono, who declared the conference open, noted that the government developed an “Education for Change” blueprint which had led to a Ministerial Strategic Plan (2018-2022) for the delivery of quality education in the country. [PUNCH]
