WAEC begins registration for private candidates

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) says it will soon conduct the second series of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for private candidates.

This was made known in a press statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES by the spokesperson of the council, Demianus Ojijeogu, on Wednesday.

“We have done the first series for candidates in January and we released the results in March. The only pending examination we have now is for students who are in SS3 and once the lockdown is over, we will commence it immediately,” Mr Ojijeogu told PREMIUM TIMES in a phone conversation.

The global coronavirus outbreak has kept Nigerian schools closed since March 19 and the government has not disclosed when the closure will end. The closure of schools has disrupted the academic calendar as students are unable to write their examinations.

According to the council’s statement, registration starts June 10 and ends July 31.

“This is to inform the general public and intending candidates that registration for the WestAfrican Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for Private Candidates, 2020-Second Series has commenced. The examination will be urban-based and will be conducted at a period to be announced in due course,” the statement said.

The council also said 36 subjects will be available for the examination and intending candidates are advised to visit the WAEC corporate website to confirm available examination towns and subjects before obtaining the registration pin.

The statement also said the registration procedure has been designed to accommodate biometric features that will be used for validation at the examination centre.

The council also said there is provision for “walk-in” candidates and candidates with special needs.

“Walk –in candidates, who wish to write the examination after the close of entries may be accommodated provided they register less than 24 hours to the scheduled time of the paper they intend to write. The walk-in candidates’ fee is N30,500 only,” the statement said.

The statement said the special needs’ candidates will also register online but “they must state clearly their disabilities: blind, low vision, spastic, speech, etc.

“Candidates must conclude registration within two weeks of first access to the website during the registration period,” the statement said.

The council said candidates are expected to pay a registration fee of N13,950 and a commission of N500 to banks and accredited agents.

Candidates must conclude registration within two weeks of first access to the website during the registration period. They should ensure that their names, gender, passport photographs, dates of birth, and subjects are correct.