Ebonyi Proprietors Kick As WAEC Blocks Them From Registering Their Candidates

The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) Ebonyi State has appealed to the West African Examination Council [WAEC] to kindly consider the plights of the outgoing students in SS3 who are locked out of WAEC Registration over closure of their portal.

Briefing the newsmen in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, the State Chairman of NAPPS Ebonyi State, Elder Kingsley Igboke said that it is unfortunate to note that Students who are due for the 2020/2021 WASSC Examination might not write their exams as WAEC has taken a decision to close its site against uploading the Students’ Continuous Assessment (CAS) that would qualify them to sit for the exams, saying that this decision by the Exam’s apex body is a shocking one as it will add to the fears and shock the supposed outgoing students will be battling with.

“The situation we have at hand here is a very delicate one as not only the School Owners, but the parents and the students are also thrown into palpable fear by that singular decision of the WAEC to close its site against uploading Students’ CASS for WAEC registration” he said.
“Few weeks ago, we woke up to a shocking and heartbreaking news from WAEC that it will be penalizing Schools that have not uploaded their Candidates’ CASS with a whopping sum of one hundred thousand Naira per School, and that the penalty is also applicable to Schools that have uploaded theirs but made some mistakes in the process of doing so, and that even if it’s one candidate’s data that needs to be updated or corrected, the school must pay the penalty fee. As if that is not enough, WAEC Board went ahead to issue a threat that it would close its CASS uploading portal on Sunday, 28th February, 2021, and that even if the penalty fee of N100,000 is paid, that the site will not be opened to enable us register our students. By implication, WAEC was saying that it has determined to shut out millions of our students whose CASS are yet to be uploaded for the exams. True to their threats, WAEC has continued to collect that N100,000 per School for what it tagged “late uploading of students’ CASS” and one wonders why WAEC should come up with such a decision in a time like this. This got all of us kicking as we already have envisioned the danger it would pose to the parents and guardians whose children are preparing for the exams. The fear and shock of COVID-19 Pandemic is still fresh and frustrating in the minds of our students, and I think this is not the best of time for WAEC to come up with such a decision as it is not only injurious to both the parents and students that will be writing the exams, it is equally inhuman. How would the parents that are still grasping with the challenges of raising money for the basic WAEC registration of their children be asked to pay not just an extra amount of money, but to whooping tune of N100,000, supposing he is the only Candidate whom the penalized School wants his or her data uploaded or updated, he queried?”
He went further to appeal to WAEC to be more humane in their approach to issues, saying that the situation in Ebonyi is a peculiar one, especially as there are many internal and external aggressions against the people of Ebonyi, which our students are inclusive of, and which has displaced a lot of people from their homes, including our students.

Recall that there are many crisis currently going on in almost all parts of the State, which includes but not limited to that of Effium and Ezza-Effium in Effium Community in Ohaukwu LGA of the State; between Abaomege and Isinkwo, between Ikwo and Izzi; between Ikwo and Ezza; between Izzi and Cross River, among others, and some of these crisis started about three months ago before WAEC started its registration processes, thereby forcing so many schools in those areas to be shut down. As a matter of fact, some of our members’ schools in Effium were burnt down as a result of this crisis, thereby and making it impossible for the teachers to have access to their school from where they would have done those things required by WAEC and the situation would have been worse off if not for the quick intervention of His Excellency the Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. Dave Umahi. To be very candid with you, I must say that WAEC’s previous procedure of allowing its site open until after WASSCE registration is preferable by all and sundry, and that is our prayers and we expect that WAEC considers that option if its current position is not a deliberate attempt to stop our students from being part of their 2020/2021 exams.

All these crisis ravaging these parts of the State is adversely affecting both the parents, proprietors and students in all of these places, and our plea is that WAEC should be humane and kind enough to extend the time of the deadline given, to enable Schools register their students for the exam; we therefore demand unconditional opening of the site to enable us register our students without hitches and arbitrary charges, he said.”