TheCable

The West African Examination Council (WAEC) says stakeholders in Nigerian education are paying lip service to the development of the country’s education.

Speaking at a meeting with journalists in Abuja, Charles Eguridu, head of national office WAEC Nigeria, said Ghana has continued to produce the best results in West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in the past three years.

“Over the past three years, candidates from Ghana have remained the best; it is saddening considering our population,” he said.

“We have been paying lip service to teachers; some schools do not have facilities; candidates do not have laboratories, vocational centres, libraries and textbooks.

“The outcome of such educational system will be self-evident; it is high time we got more serious with our value system and adopt excellence as our watchword.

“It is not that Nigerians are less intelligent, but we do not motivate our children; the love and quest for material things has taken over the level of responsibility in many homes.”

According to him, children were not monitored at home as they were left to watch movies and do other things at the detriment of their studies.

On the perceived credibility issue between WAEC and the National Examination Council results in terms of students’ performances, Eguridu said the council’s researchers would look into the matter.

Eguridu disclosed that from 2016, WAEC’s November/December General Certificate in Education examination will be known as ‘Private Candidates’ examination while that of May/June would be ‘School Candidates’ examination.

He explained that the change in name is to avoid tying the examinations to specific months.

On the debts being owed the council by some states, he said that 30 per cent of the states had paid while some others issued promissory notes.