Features

Celebrating Ekiti’s rising performance in WASSCE

It has been revealed that performance of Ekiti State candidates in the West African School Certificate Examinations, (WASSCE) has improved considerably, especially in the last two years.

Comparing the summary of analysis, breakdown as well as statistics of the state’s results in the last five years, i.e (2012-2016), Ekiti State performed better in 2015 and 2016 than in 2012, 2013 and 2014 during which unimpressive performance was recorded.

Findings as well as statistics obtained from relevant government establishments show that Ekiti State came 17th out of the 36 states of the federation in the 2016 WAEC results just released recently, representing 53 per cent success.

In the same token, the state came out 17th in the 2015 WAEC results, representing 37 per cent success.

The state, however, came 35th in 2014, 28th in 2013 and 22nd in 2012.

The percentage of failure recorded range from 75 per cent in 2014, 44.55 per cent in 2013 and 35.75 per cent in 2012.

Whereas, in 2015 during which the state began to receive a boost, the percentage of success recorded was quite impressive.

Also in the recent one released for 2016, Ekiti placed 11th out of the 36 states, with 8,954 out of its 21,333 candidates obtaining credits in five subjects and above including English Language and Mathematics.

Mr. Idowu Adelusi, who is the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Mr Ayo Fayose, while reacting to the improvement recorded in the last two years of the present administration, described it as heartwarming.

According to him, “the feat was an indication that efforts of the present administration to reposition education in the state were already yielding results.”

He said the governor was particularly happy that no fewer than 37 per cent of the state candidates that sat for WAEC in 2016 had minimum of five credits including English and Mathematics while similar feat was recorded in 2015.

He said the state presented a total of 13,690 candidates in 2015, while in 2016, a total of 21,333 candidates were presented, out of which 8,954 recorded more than five credit pass including English and Mathematics.

“The mere fact that the state jumped from 35th position to the 11th, barely two years of the coming into office of this administration, is remarkable

“I recall that Mr Fayose was the first Ekiti State governor to organise an education summit in 2003 during his first tenure, the result of which was that the state ranked seventh in the country and the first in the South West then.

“It is, however, unfortunate that the successive administrations failed to follow the trend, hence the failures that greeted such wicked oversight.”

Adelusi disclosed that part of the strategies employed by the governor upon being sworn-in for a second term in October 2014 was to introduce special salary for teachers that handle core subjects across the state as well as provided all the required teaching aids in all schools.

The governor’s spokesperson further disclosed that a total of N411.7 million had so far been committed to paying a total of 5,130 core subject teachers under the new scheme.

“Governor Fayose did all of these not only to motivate the teachers but to also ensure that the type of students we present for external exams are not half-baked,” he said.

The state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Jide Egunjobi, corroborated the governor’s stand, adding that the present administration placed premium on training and re-training of teachers.

“I can assure you that training of teachers now takes the front seat

“As for the students, we have banned cutting of grasses and other manual works during normal school hours in order to allow them have full concentration on their studies

“The Fayose-led administration has done quite a lot to curb the menace of mass failure in external examinations and we can only thank God and commend the tutors that our efforts are paying off gradually,” he said.

When asked to state the likely causes of the initial failure, the commissioner said low morale of class tutors as a result of poor treatment on the part of past administration was largely responsible.

He also bemoaned the hitherto lack of seriousness and poor attitude to study by the students as another factor.

A parent, Mrs Ibidun Ajijola, who is a retired school supervisor, said the introduction of modern technology such as phones, Ipad, laptop computers among others have wreaked more havoc on the lives of children who now preferred to rely on information generated from the net than what they are supposed to read from books.