The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is an examination body created by law to decide which exams are necessary for the public good in the English-speaking nations of West Africa, to administer the exams, and to issue certificates that are on par with those issued by comparable examining authorities internationally Since its founding in 1952, the council has helped to improve education in Anglophone West African nations like Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and the Gambia by organizing a variety of exams and awarding diplomas. Additionally, they established an endowment fund to support education in West Africa through lectures and financial aid for those who cannot afford it. Since its founding, it has maintained its position as one of West Africa's most significant and well-known exams.
Formerly, Dr. Adeyegbe
"The council has developed a team of well-trained and highly motivated staff, and has administered Examinations that are valid and relevant to the educational aspirations of member countries," according to HNO of WAEC Nigeria in 2004. In a calendar year, more than three million applicants registered for the WAEC-organized exams. The council aids other examination organisations, both domestic and foreign, in organizing Examinations.
History
In 1948, the University of London School Examinations Matriculation Council, the West African Departments of Education, and the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate convened to discuss education in West Africa. The gathering was called to talk about West Africa's future educational policies. The University of London Institute of Education's Director, Dr. George Barker Jeffery, was given the task of visiting certain West African nations to assess the region's general education standards and needs. After a three-month trip to Ghana, the Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria (December 1949–March 1950), Jeffery returned with a report (later known as the Jeffery report) that strongly backed the creation of a West African Examination Council and made specific recommendations for its membership. and the council's obligations In response to this study, the organizations convened with the governments of these nations, and they decided to completely implement Jeffery's proposals and establish a West African Examination Council.
The Council's Establishment
In December 1951, an ordinance (West African Examinations Council Ordinance No. 40) was approved by the legislative bodies of Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia.The West African Examination Council was authorized by the Ordinance to coordinate exams and provide certificates to students in several nations. Later, in 1974, during the annual conference held in Lagos, Nigeria, Liberia published its ordinance. The examination council successfully formed, and in March 1953 it summoned its first meeting in Accra, Ghana. The registrar gave a quick update on the council's work during the meeting. Five committees were established at the same meeting to help the council. The following committees make up this group: School the Local Committee, the Professional, Technical and Commercial Examinations Committee, and the Public Service Examinations Committee. There were 26 attendees in all at this conference.
presence in the initial meeting
Here is a list of everyone who attended the West African Examination Council's inaugural meeting.
A. N. Galsworthy, the council's chairman
J. L. Brereton, Secretary of the Cambridge Syndicate, and George Barker Jeffery, Chief Secretary of the West African Inter-Territorial Secretariat
The governments of Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia have each proposed 13 members.
Constance Rulka, one of the ten observers, was appointed Assistant Registrar of the West African Examinations Council and given responsibility for the examinations in English at all levels in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia. Constance Rulka would subsequently become the Chief Examiner.
Organization of the Council
It is well recognized that the West African Examination Council has a capable committee. International committees, National Committees, and Subcommittees make up the council's organizational structure.
The International Committee addresses issues that concern all of the council's members and also coordinates national opinions on those policies. The National committees deal with issues relevant to each member nation. Additionally, it aids in the expression of national perspectives on problems impacting the council's overall policy. The subcommittees tackle different facets of the council's operations. For instance, the financial health of WAEC is under the control of the Finance committee. Subcommittees are numerous and support both the international and national committees.
Examinations that were done
The body conducts examinations in four separate categories.[4] They include international exams, national exams, tests taken in cooperation with other examining bodies, and tests taken on behalf of other examining bodies.[7] Exams taken in the five nations that have the WAEC law are referred to as international exams. The WASSCE (West African Senior School Certificate Examination) is what it consists of.
FIRST SERIES WASSCE FOR PRIVATE CANDIDATES JANUARY–FEBRUARY
WASSCE FOR (CANDIDATES FOR SCHOOL) WASSCE FOR PRIVATE CANDIDATES FROM MARCH TO MAY (MAIN GCE) SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER
Individual nations hold their own national examinations. They consist of:
the National Primary School and Basic Education Certificate Examinations for Sierra Leone, the Junior Secondary School Certificate for Nigeria and the Gambia, the Junior and Senior High School Certificate Examinations for Liberia, the Basic Education Certificate Examinations for Ghana, the Senior School Certificate Examinations for GhanaIn cooperation with a few reliable examination bodies, the council also plans exams. These consist of: Institute of the City and Guilds of London
RS Royal Society of Arts
Research Institute for WAEC
Additionally, the council administers exams across West Africa on behalf of international testing organizations. These consist of: The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) examination is given in nations outside of Nigeria as well as the University of London GCE Scholastic Aptitude Test and Graduate Record Examinations for Educational Testing Service, Princeton, USA.[8]
Candidates that take part in the examinations receive certifications from the council that are trustworthy and genuine. And this certificate's standard is in line with that of the United Kingdom. The reason for this is that the WAEC Ordinance granted the council authority to conduct exams and issue certificates as long as the certificates don't have a lower level than
Security: WAEC test starts May 8; schools may move
The West African Examinations Council, WAEC, has set May 8 as the beginning date for the 2023 school applicants' West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination, or WASSCE.
The examination, which will culminate on June 23, would take into account the safety of students and other stakeholders, especially those in areas experiencing security issues, the council further stated through her Nigerian Head of National Office, Mr. Patrick Areghan.
"I am delighted to inform you that the conduct of the WASSCE, for school candidates, 2023, will take place between May 8 and June 28, 2023, in Nigeria, spanning seven weeks," Areghan said in a statement to reporters at the WAEC National Office in Yaba, Lagos.
We have successfully conducted the examination during the May/June timeframe for the second time in a row. This is amazing. A total of 1,621,853 applicants from 20,851 secondary schools have enrolled for the WASSCE, which is intended for pupils in the ordinary exit-class (SS3) of all accredited government and private secondary schools in the nation.
Male candidates make up 798,810 of this total, or 49.25 percent, while female candidates make up 823,043 of the total, or 50.75 percent. In comparison to 2022, the figures reveal that there is a greater rise in the number of girls and a fall in the number of males, respectively.
"Overall, there were 13, 868 more candidates for the 2023 WASSCE than there were for the 2022 exam.
1,607,985. Candidates would take 76 subjects totaling 197 papers for examination. The various state Ministries of Education will propose over 30,000 active senior secondary school teachers who will take the exam as supervisors.
Teachers from each school that submits a candidate for the test will act as invigilators in that school. The state ministries of education involved will be the only ones to designate supervisors and invigilators for de-recognized institutions from outside the schools, he added.