Nigeria National Office of the West African Examination Council WAEC has established a Digital Printing Press for the printing of examination security materials.
The Chairman of WAEC Prof. Ato Essuman stated this in Abuja during a visit to the Minister of Education Mallam Adamu Adamu
Professor Essuman said the digital printing press is the first to be owned by the Council in Nigeria.
He explained that the building and all the external works have been completed and three machines have been procured
Professor Essuman however solicited the support of Federal Government to procure an outstanding machine that cost 3.9 million dollars for activities to commence at the digital printing press.
“As a responsible and responsive organisation, the council is always seeking ways of improving on its service delivery to stakeholders.
“The Nigeria National Office embarked on the establishment of a Digital Printing Press for the printing of examination security materials, the first to be owned by the council in Nigeria.
“However, the project, which is nearing completion, has been stalled because we are not able to fund the acquisition of a particular machine that is vital to the operation of the system.
“I wish therefore to use this privilege extended to me today to request your kind intervention to enable us to secure the required financial assistance for the procurement of the machine,” he said.
Professor Essuman said that in the 70 years of WAEC’s existence, Nigeria stood out in the comity of member nations not only in the discharge of its obligations but also in the enthusiasm and promptness with which most of the obligations were discharged.
He, therefore, thanked the government and people of Nigeria, for the support, cooperation, and goodwill, which WAEC had received from its inception in 1952 to date.
Responding, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, promised to do his best to make sure that Nigerian government supports the council in achieving its mandate.
The Head, of WAEC Nigeria National Office, Mr. Patrick Areghan, while visiting its marking centres in Abuja, said there had been a marginal increase in WAEC fees because of the country’s spiral inflation.
Mr. Areghan said that the conversion of naira to dollar today was a misery saying that the upward review of fees was necessary to enable the council render its services efficiently to the Nigerian child.
“There has to be that marginal increase to enable us to do better services. The examiners are now happy as we are able to increase their marking fees through this marginal increase.
“The money actually went for the payments of examiners to enable us satisfy them so that they can do the job better,” he said.
He noted that each student writing the examinations now have to pay N18,000 as against the former N13,950.
On whether the council was planning to introduce the Computer Based Test (CBT) in the conduct of its examinations, Areghan said CBT would only be achieved if government provided the required facilities to enable it conduct such examinations.
He said that WAEC conduct examinations for over 20,000 secondary schools in the country and in 76 subjects and as such would be difficult to use CBT for its examinations knowing fully well that a candidate could offer as low as eight subjects.
RN
