Our experiences writing exam in a pandemic —Lagos WASSCE candidates

TUNBOSUN OGUNDARE checked out candidates for a normal examination in an unusual season.

BY next Saturday, the ongoing 2020 school-based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) will be over, formally closing the secondary education chapter in the history of many senior secondary school students who made it to Class 3 (SSS3) in the country.

By then, each of the students sitting the examination would have written eight or nine subjects at the maximum. The entire candidates nationwide are 1,459,463, consisting of 786,421 males and 763,042 females from a total of 19,129 schools, according to the head of the national office of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in Nigeria, Mr Patrick Areghan.

Of that national is figure are about 160,000 candidates (about 11 per cent), according to Saturday Tribune’s investigation, who are sitting the examination in Lagos State which, until recently, was the epicenter of the raging coronavirus pandemic in the country. Records show that the state has lost many residents to the virus, with the state authorities also expending huge amount of money, more than any other states in the federation, to fight the virus. Several weeks ago, when the state government announced the reopening of schools to enable the WASSCE candidates have proper revision ahead of the examination and then sit the examination proper, gripped with fear of uncertainty, many considered such reopening risky. The state government-owned schools alone account for a total of 46,804 candidates, which is about 29.3 per cent of the total candidates registered for the annual examination, according to the Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo.

Monsurat’s story

Monsurat, a 16-year-old student, is one of the 46,804 candidates. She is a science student of a public school in Ijaiye-Ojokoro under Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area of the state. She wants to study Biochemistry at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) and she has already done this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which was conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). She scored 212 out of possible 400 marks in the examination, according to her. Being an awaiting-result candidate and having had a glimpse of her score which is likely to meet the cut-off mark for her dream course in the university, the ongoing WASSCE is crucial for her.

She knows she must pass and at least obtain a minimum of five credits in suitable subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, to be able to secure the desired admission. Now, Monsurat is writing WASSCE and she is scheduled to finish her papers on September 9. Although before now, especially during the general school closure, she had joined her mates for virtual\online learning provided by the state government as well as many private school owners, using various platforms, she participated in the two-week revision classes provided by the authorities. Yet, her feeling writing the examination under the COVID-19 pandemic conditions, with regimented safety guidelines and protocols is not the usual type.

WASSCE is one examination that comes with ‘fever’ for the candidates and their parents and teachers.

WAEC fever

“We have heard all manner of stories about WASSCE. We heard that most WAEC questions are technical and therefore will require critical thinking before answering them and that the organisation is also strict with marking. We also heard that once the external supervisors catch any student cheating, that may affect the results of candidates in a whole centre and all that,” Monsurat said.

Due to these, coupled with the nature of her school principal, as a principled person, she pointed out that every student tried to be well-behaved. Although Monsurat was well prepared using the window of opportunity provided by the revision classes, she pointed out that they were gripped with tension because they started with Mathematics, a subject many students dread despite the fact that it is mandatory to pas it, at least at credit level, alongside English Language, to advance in their studies.

“So, with social distancing and nose masks on, we sat ‘miles’ apart from one another. This arrangement is odd and unfriendly,” Monsurat said.

On the first day of the examination, her school received an unusually large number of state officials whose mission was to ascertain that the pandemic regulations were being obeyed. She said she said they were warned not to leave their seats or talk to one another and that anyone caught cheating would not go scot-free. There are about 350 of us writing the examination in my school and we all were present on that day but everyone kept to himself or herself,” she stressed, noting that only 30 students are in a classroom, which ordinarily accommodates about 85 students. Monsurat, being a science student, was able to answer up to 85 per cent of the questions in the subject. Some of her non-science mates, according to her, were unable to do that. She noted that for her not to have attempted all the questions wasn’t because of lack of sufficient time but because some of the questions were difficult.

“Even I answered up to that extent because of the optional questions provided. And I am sure of having at least C5 in the subject,” she noted. For other subjects so far done, she said tension had reduced and as of Wednesday when she wrote the Chemistry paper, everybody was calm. As regards practical class, as a science student, she said they also observed social\physical distancing in the laboratories with students arranged in groups and taking turns to perform experiments.

‘Absence of group discussion affected us’

Monsurat’s experience is similar to that of others, to whom Saturday Tribune spoke. They include Tomiwa, Precious, Mohammed and Chukwudi (surnames withheld on request). Tomiwa and Precious attend the same private school around Fagba-Iju axis of Ifako-Ijaiye, while Mohammed and Chukwudi are schooling in Agege and Alimosho local government areas, respectively. Although just like Monsurat, all of them had equally sat UTME and want to go to universities (not polytechnics or colleges of education), only two of them scored above 200 in the qualifying examination. But optimism is driving them to do well in the foundation examination, which is WASSCE.

However, for them, writing an examination of such magnitude without being allowed to move close to one another, especially for the usual last-minute revision among themselves before the commencement of each paper, is not a good experience. They added that most times, such discussions centre mostly on past questions and they help, particularly when such group discussions are done with the exceptionally brilliant ones among them. “It has helped me before as the treated questions were repeated and it was difficult to forget what you learned within that short period,” Chukwudi said.

Another unusual issue for them is the sitting arrangement which keeps them far way from one another and which makes things difficult for would-be cheaters, as the arrangement make the invigilators’ job very easy. “That sitting arrangement is detrimental for many of us. Not for me though, as I only write what I know,” Tomiwa said. Other things they considered strange include everybody submitting to the daily ritual of temperature check at the gate before being allowed onto the premises, as well as frequent washing of hands. They said they found the temperature check particularly scary.

NECO to the rescue?

In an interview with Saturday Tribune, WAEC’s helmsman in Nigeria assured candidates not to expect questions outside the syllabus for the examination. When asked if WAEC broke its promise by coming up with questions for different subjects that were not covered by the syllabus, the answers were mixed. While Tomiwa and Mohammed, just like Monsurat, said the questions were within scope, Precious and Chukwudi said they found the questions tough and were now left with the hope of combining their WASSCE result with NECO, which is yet to be written.

NECO examination stands as an alternative to WAEC examination for Nigerian SSS3 students and this year’s edition is scheduled to commence on October 10. But unlike WASSCE, which is a unified examination among five English-speaking West African countries, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia and Nigeria, NECO is a Nigeria-based examination and strictly for Nigerian students. While the Lagos State government picks the WAEC bill for all SSS3 students in public schools on a yearly basis, as part of its free education policy, any of the students that opts to sit NECO examination has to pay the bill.

Virtual teaching not effective?

To the relief of many of the participating students, Mathematics and English Language, considered as two of their most difficult subjects, had come and gone and because they are mandatory, a lot of attention was on them, especially preparing for the two subjects at the height of the pandemic. Saturday Tribune sought the views of the students on the effectiveness of virtual/online studying and preparation to know if they were helped by the arrangement which state authorities, private school operators and well-meaning members of the society put in place for the students when they were locked at home. Those interviewed acknowledged their participation but claimed that they paid little attention during the sessions. They said the method was not only new to them but it also not as effective as the normal face-to-face classroom learning environment.

Precious, just like her other mates, explained the differences. According to her, apart from the fact that many students had no opportunities of asking their facilitators questions on radio or even TV, let alone on WhatsApp or Facebook, during classes, frequent power outage as well as lack of regular internet facilities to effectively participate in the teaching took a lot of benefits away from the exercise She was, however, thankful for the two weeks of general revision before the examination, saying that the combination of the revision and the last-minute revision before each subject was a saving grace. “If not for the revision, the examination would have been a disaster for many,” she stated.

No corona

Luckily, so far, Lagos has not recorded any case of candidates infected with coronavirus either directly or through contact tracing, despite the fact that students usually put aside the social\physical distancing principle the moment they are done with the subjects of the day and outside the schools’ gates, going home, as observed by Saturday Tribune. According to them, they go in groups not minding whether they touch bodies. Though testing for the virus was not mandatory for students in the state before resumption and even now, one code that is clear to everyone is that any student or examination official who feels unwell and shows disturbing symptoms, especially high body temperature, would not be allowed to mix with others. The arrangement for such individuals is either to be sent home, asked to seek medical help or get isolated to write the examination if the student can cope. “None of us has COVID-19 in my school so far and none will have even after the examination,” Monsurat said.

We trek 15 kilometers for exam –Makoko students

Saturday Tribune visited Makoko, a community between Yaba and Ebute Meta, to see if students of the famous floating school were also writing their final secondary education examination. It was discovered that the floating school is mainly for pupils of primary education ages and was said to have been established mainly because of the proximity to their homes, as there is a standard public primary school, Adekunle Primary School, in the heart of Makoko, which most of the children in the community attend. Findings also showed that there is no public secondary school in Makoko. The only existing secondary school there is privately owned. The public primary school there is a twin two-storey building located opposite Makoko Police Station.

Saturday Tribune met three students on their way to school for SSSCE. They said since there was no secondary school in Makoko, they had to trek or go in public transportation to school which they said has not been easy for them. They said they wished they had a secondary school in Makoko. “We go as far as Oyingbo, Oko Baba and Sabo to attend school. I am presently going to Oyingbo where my school is located which is about 15 kilometers from where I live,” one of them said.

Lagos’s best performance is 7th position –Investigation

Interestingly, the general performance of candidates from Lagos State in the examination in the last four years has been swinging between 63 and 65.5 per cent of its total candidates, putting the state consistently between seventh and 10th positions when compared with other states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). According to statistics obtained from WAEC showing state-by-state performance analysis, based on percentage of candidates who obtained credit and above in five subject combination, including English Language and Mathematics, Lagos State is ranked eighth, 10th and seventh positions in 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively.

However, the state presents the highest number of candidates on a yearly basis for the examination. Out of 145,186 candidates it presented in 2016, 63 per cent of them obtained the standard grade, putting the state at the eighth position, while 65.50 per cent of 154,430 total candidates in 2017 and 60.72 per cent of 162,066 candidates for 2018, with similar standard grade, put the state at 10th and seventh positions, respectively. Available documents show that the state has consistently queued behind Abia, Rivers, Edo, Imo, Bayelsa and Anambra states.

We can only wish them well –Parents

Some oparents spoken to by Saturday Tribune expressed optimism that the students would do well, this year. They said although some students, especially in public schools and from not-well-to-do homes, might not have prepared well because of the challenges of poor electricity and lack of internet during school closure, they would still give their best.  Mr Mukaila Alatise, a businessman, for example, said his daughter told him that the examination was neither very easy nor too difficult. “I only wish her well, as I wish other students well, too,” he said. Similarly, a former South-West coordinator of the National Parent-Teacher Association of Nigeria (NPTAN), Deacon Olusoji Adams, said with the level of online\virtual learning engagement with the students during the school closure as well as the two-week revision classes after resumption, coupled with the students’ determination to succeed, they should do well. “Above all, we can only pray to God to crown their efforts with success,” he stressed.

Private schools react

For private school owners, the students will certainly perform well and probably do better than they used to. President of the state chapter of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Mr Amusa Olawale, and his counterpart in charge of the League of Muslim Schools (LEAMPS), Mr Fatai Raheem, as well as the president of the Association of Formidable Educational Development (AFED), Mr Orji Kanu, said the students were eager to learn all the time, including during the closure of schools.

“We also engaged them on what we called blended learning classrooms whereby we taught them through digital platforms as an addition to the physical lessons during the two weeks of intensive coaching ahead of the exam,” Mr Olawale pointed out. He said he observed that the questions set for the students are just like those of the previous editions, adding: “That is why I am sure that our students will perform well even as we don’t also expect WAEC to lower its grading scheme. WAEC has high integrity and standard which I believe the organisation will continue to protect.”

Even at that, LEAMPS boss, Mr Raheem, said he would not be surprised if only about 60 per cent of candidates from Lagos State are able to obtain standard grade when the results are out.

How candidates will be graded –WAEC

On the average, only about half of the entire Nigerian candidates who sit the school-based exam usually obtain minimum grade, which is credit in five subject combination, including English Language and Mathematics.

Head of the public affairs department of the organisation in Nigeria, Mr Demianus Ojijeogu, told Saturday Tribune on Thursday that WAEC would never compromise standard. According to him, WAEC administers questions on 76 subjects and they are based on the syllabus drawn from the curriculum. He added that marking and grading of students, notwithstanding their states, would equally be based on their performance, although there is no marking guide yet to determine that.

Additional report by SYLVESTER OKORUWA.

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