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The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has notified the general public particularly candidates who are prepared to write the 2020 West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE), not to fall prey to antics of fraudster on the social media claiming exams had been cancelled, a development that could jeopardise their interest.
This swift reaction was contained in a statement made available to the media on Sunday, April 26, 2020 and signed by WAEC, Head of National Office, Mr Patrick Areghan, in order to put the record straight and caution candidates, parents and guardians about the vicious activities of some purveyors of fake news marauding on the social media. He stated;
“Our attention has been drawn to a fake publication circulating in the social media, to the effect that the West African Examinations Council had CANCELLED the conduct of the WASSCE FOR SCHOOL CANDIDATES, 2020 as a result of the Coronavirus Pandemic and was, therefore, set to refund the sum of N22,500.00 to candidates who had enrolled for the examination.”
Areghan continued, “the publication is patently false and deceitful. It is nothing but the handiwork of mischief makers who are out to defraud innocent and unsuspecting candidates and their parents/guardians.”
According to him, “This piece of news is certainly not from the West African Examinations Council. It falls short of the Council’s style, language and factual details. They got it all wrong.
“1. The examination was supposed to start in Nigeria on April 6, 2020 and NOT April 15, 2020, as stated by the authors.
2. The examination fee is N13,950.00 only, NOT N22,500.00. It is, therefore, not reasonable to refund candidates an amount higher than what they had paid to register for the examination.
3. WAEC, as an examining body in the sub-region, has not announced the cancellation of the examination; it only announced a postponement until normalcy is restored.
4. WAEC couldn’t have made a mistake in the full meaning of its acronym!”
Guiding the candidates further the council HNO, said;
“It will be recalled that WAEC, Nigeria issued a press release on the postponement of the examination on March 20, 2020, in appreciation of the stark realities of the moment and in complete deference to the Federal government, regarding its various control measures against the spread of the disease.
We wish to use this opportunity to reassure all registered candidates, schools and other stakeholders that once the situation returns to normal, the Council will come up with a new International Timetable for the conduct of the examination in the West African sub-region, after due consultations with relevant stakeholders. Candidates are, therefore, advised to disregard the publication and concentrate on studying hard for the examination.
Meanwhile, The West African Examinations Council shall continue to respect all the protocols being rolled out by the Federal and the various State governments aimed at containing the pandemic. Thank you.” The statement concluded.
