On Wednesday, July 8, 2020, the Federal Government changed its earlier position and announced that Nigerian students will not participate in this year’s WAEC examination scheduled to start on August 4, 2020, due to fears of Coronavirus.
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, revealed this to journalists after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting.
Schools across the country have been closed since March in a bid to contain the spread of the virus, and according to the minister, they will remain closed for as long as necessary. This means that final year students in secondary schools will have to wait until next year to write their West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). The minister added that he would prefer that students lose an academic year than risking their lives.
While the minister is cool with this, a lot of people aren’t. The House of Representatives, through the Basic Education and Services has kicked against it and urged the Federal Government to reverse this decision.
Also, a former Vice President of the country, Atiku Abubakar is clear on his position. In a Twitter thread, he disapproved of the decision to withdraw from the 2020 WAEC examination. According to him, cancelling the exams puts Nigeria at more risk.
Of course, Nigerians have joined the conversation on Twitter. Here are some of the reactions trailing the decision:
1. This Person is not here to play
2. Oh well
3. Uhm…
4. Lots of questions
5. Some suggestions here
6. This is tricky
7. That one person
8. LMAO
It is not clear if the Federal Government will reverse its decision and allow students to write the WAEC exam yet, so fingers crossed on that.
What do you think about the Federal Government’s decision? Let us know in the comments.
