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Some parents of candidates who have missed out on this year’s West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE), on Saturday, stormed the Kaduna Zonal office of the examination board.
SaharaReporters learnt that the parents had protested at the entrance of the office to express their grievances.
Affected candidates, according to a source, had paid and obtained the forms. However, during the course of registration, some of them encountered technical challenges and were unable to complete their registration.
Others had to flee registration venues when bandits attacked the community. Meanwhile, the examination body closed the portal for registration early.
The schools affected include Kalhyatu Abdurahman Bin Auf Academy, Jere; Al-bameen Academy, Kaduna Nigeria; Government Senior Secondary School, Iddah; Government Secondary School, Kagarko; Government Secondary School, Kuse; ECWA Secondary School, Kubacha; Government Secondary School, Independence Way; Great Panaf Schools, Kaduna South, and Government Secondary School, Maro.
The schools were said to have written to the head of the National office of the West African Examination Council through the Ministry of Education but there was no response to the letter nor was the issue resolved.
“The letter was written on April 12 to WAEC, no reply to date. It contains the list of the schools and the number of candidates affected in each of the schools.
“We heard reliably that the portal was open during the period but these were denied access,” a source told SaharaReporters.
The source said that what particularly grieved parents was the fact that the zonal coordinator said students can be given the grace to take the November/December General Certificate Examination organised by the body but added that students have to pay again.
He noted, “There are about nine schools that were affected. What happened was that after making the payments, the schools were given the number and during the process of registration, some had problems, they couldn’t upload, and there were technical issues. Others had bandits attack when the students were putting their thumbprints so they had to run for their lives and return after two days when there was calm.
“As early as March 20, the portal was closed and they weren’t able to upload. After several demands at the zonal office to get the portal opened so that all the students can upload, the zonal coordinator refused.
“The schools, then wrote a letter through the Ministry of Education and the Ministry wrote a cover letter to WAEC to allow them to upload and they refused. The payment had been done, each candidate paid N18, 000, that’s the cost of the form.
“One of the schools paid for 290 students, another school 150, another 100 and many others, they are like about 700 candidates.
“The zonal coordinator offered that the affected schools, the candidates would take the November/December diet but at the expense of the school, that is, the students have to pay again and this is unfair. It means he has not done anything for them. There was a peaceful demonstration yesterday.”
