Following the large amounts of examination malpractices in the previous West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), the board in charge of the exams, West African Examination Council (WAEC), has terminated the licenses of the schools involved in the immoral activities.
The board's boss in Nigeria, Dr. Josiah Dangut, disclosed this information in the pre-examination press briefing that happened on Thursday. He said 574 licenses were revoked as a strict measure to combat malpractice. He also emphasized that any examination centre culpable will be sanctioned by other examination bodies.
Candidates have been caught involving in several forms of examination malpractices including collusion between candidates and invigilators, impersonation, and the operation of so-called "miracle centres" where candidates are assisted dishonestly during exams.
Such activities compromise the credibility of the examination process and the validity of the results issued. According to Josiah, future examinations will not be conducted at the school centres affected with sanctions.
The revocation of licenses has affected schools across multiple states in Nigeria. Recall that the examination body delisted 50 secondary schools due to examination malpractices in Oyo State. Meanwhile, the government of the state expresses its intent to sanction the principals and parents associated with these schools.
Also in River State, 35 schools were banned from presenting candidates for future WASSCE. In Kogi state, 13 schools were deregistered, 14 exam supervisors were blacklisted, and the state government plans to prosecute offending principals and teachers.
The consequences are simple but though for affected schools and candidates. Schools cannot register WAEC candidates for a defined period or indefinitely, and students from affected schools will be forced to be reassigned to another accredited schools for exams.