WASSCE: Students set to defy pandemic odds to pass in flying colours
By Edith Igbokwe, Damilola Kushimo and Olushola Okewole
Students preparing to take this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) starting next Monday, August 17 are set to overcome coaching hurdles posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and pass in flying colours.
An ECHONEWS random sample of candidates on their chances turned in hopeful expectations despite the gale of challenges they had to go through during the lockdown.
Although many schools organised lessons online, on radio and television to bridge the gap caused by the shutdown of educational institutions, hurdles identified by the students include lack of electronic gadgets and mobile devices to participate in the lessons.
A student from Ewutuntun Senior Grammar School, Alimat Akinode said: “I did attend the online teaching but not at all time because I used my mum’s phone when she was around.
Another spoke of the confusion caused by the dilly-dallying of the authorities mover whether the examinations should take place as a factor that affected the morale of most candidates.
Adeleke Abraham, WAEC student in Central Senior High School, Okota, said: “I’m sad because I’m not really prepared for the exam since it has been delayed and we were already told it was going to be next year.”
As reported by ECHONEWS, the Education Secretary (ES), Ikeja Local Government Authority (LGEA), Hon. Akeem Amosu had earlier complained that erratic power supply almost frustrated the online teaching organised by the Lagos State Government in some parts of the state including Oshodi-Isolo LGA.
An SS3 Mathematics teacher in one of the public schools in Oshodi, Mrs. Sherifat Shittu said less than 30 percent of her students participated in the online teaching she organised, adding that many of them were not even regular.
In Lagos State, the students resumed on Tuesday, August 4, having just 12 days to prepare for their examination.
These reactions have raised fears of low performance in the examination among teachers and parents who think lack of adequate preparation may prove fatal to the candidates’ performance.
They also ground their concerns on the not too impressive WASSCE results of recent years despite intensive coaching by schools.
For instance, in 2019, a total of 1,020,519 candidates in Nigeria representing 64.18 percent obtained credits and above in minimum of five (5) subjects including English Language and Mathematics.
In Lagos State, while the public candidates have been improving, the private candidates have been performing poorly.
In 2018, out of 48,651 private candidates who sat for the examinations in Lagos State, only 21,614 candidates representing 44.43 per cent obtained credits and above in minimum of five (5) subjects including English Language and Mathematics.
The results in 2018 were better compared to their performance in the previous year. In 2017, just 26.4 per cent (15,545) of the total 58,883 private candidates obtained credits and above in minimum of five (5) subjects including English Language and Mathematics.
But, exuding confidence and giving kudos to their teachers for sprinting them through intensive revision classes, many candidates predict excellent performance in the examinations.
According to Abraham: “Our teachers are really trying their best to prepare us now though, taking us through five subjects per day. And personally, apart from school preparation, I still have about 2 hours at home reading by myself just to prepare.”
Opeyemi Lawal, a science student of Army Children Senior High School, Ikeja said: “I have been preparing for the exams, even during the lockdown I joined online teaching immediately it started and I believe I will do well in my exams likewise others that have been studying.”
Promise Ulonnya, an Arts student of Oshodi Comprehensive Senior High School stated: “Our teachers are teaching us very well, the revision is a marathon one, we only had one hour break on Thursday. The environment is conducive for learning because all other classes are absent in the compound except us. With high concentration, the exams will be a success.
“I didn’t attend online teachings because I didn’t have a smartphone likewise most of my friends but, I picked up personal reading habit at home while my friend went to our head boy’s house for tutorial. With the look of things, the examination is going to be 50/50 chances as it is not all the students received the online teachings.”
Another student from Ewutuntun Senior Grammar School, Alimat Akinode said: “I did attend the online teaching but not at all time because I used my mum’s phone when she was around but now that revision classes have resumed, we work with a new teaching time table from 9am to 2pm. Our teachers come to the class at all time. With the intensive teachings received with the aid of past questions, we can make more than 60 percent as pass mark rate in the coming examination.”
