WAEC Postpones School WASSCE Over Coronavirus

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has postponed the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, 2020 indefinitely over the outbreak of coronavirus in Nigeria.

Naija News reports that this was disclosed in a statement issued by WAEC Nigeria’s Head of National Office, Patrick Ehidiamen Areghan.

Areghan said the examination scheduled to begin April 6, 2020, in member countries, was postponed as a result of COVID-19 pandemic.

The statement reads in part: “The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in Nigeria, nay, the West African sub-region, has decided to put on hold the conduct of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination

(WASSCE) for School Candidates, 2020, earlier scheduled to commence on April 6, 2020.

“This is as a result of the impact of the novel and deadly Corona Virus pandemic (COVID-19) and the serious implications it has for the conduct of the WASSCE for school candidates, 2020, coupled with the anxieties it has generated among the populace.

“This decision is a demonstration of the organisation’s concern and support for the various protocols being put in place by the Federal and State Governments of Nigeria and the governments of the other member countries to check the spread of the disease.”

WAEC Head of National Office in Nigeria said the timetable for the examination had been suspended and would be “reviewed once the health situation improves.”

The development is coming after the federal government ordered the closure of all tertiary institutions and unity schools across the country.

Meanwhile, Nigeria currently has 12 active coronavirus cases in the West African country. The federal government has taken many measures to prevent the spread of the disease.