WAEC to acquire magic scanners for document authentication

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) says it is set to acquire three technological devices known as Magic Scanners PS 1000 for authentication of documents and responses.

The council’s Head of National Office (HNO), Mr Olu Adenipekun, made the disclosure on Thursday in Lagos at a news conference to announce WAEC’s hosting of the 37th annual conference of the Association for Educational Assessment in Africa (AEAA).

The annual conference will take place in Abuja from Aug. 5 to Aug. 9, with the theme: “Innovations in Educational Assessment”, according to Adenipekun.

He said that participants at the conference would come from all parts of the world.

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According to Adenipekun, a  major issue to be discussed at the conference would be innovation.

He noted that technology had turned the world into a global village, adding that WAEC would need to rely on innovation to continue to deliver on its mandate.

“This conference is all about coming together to encourage relevant assessment activities among members. Participants will want to see how they are responding to new challenges, financing, as well as the development of human capital.

“This will enable us to share knowledge on issues of evaluation and assessment, and sponsor international participation in the field of educational testing and assessment within member-countries.

“One thing that will be coming on board is how we can apply technology to improve our service delivery.

“The place of technology in the education sector is one thing that will take the centre stage by looking at how innovations and technologies can be deployed in the conduct of public examinations in Nigeria.

“In this regard, therefore, WAEC has concluded plans to acquire three Magic Scanner PS 1000 from a company in the UK which has shown interest to come and unveil this technology at the conference.

“This Magic Scanner will be used to authenticate documents and responses before they are taken to the clouds, ‘’ he said.

Adenipekun added that the council was looking to acquiring a tracking device that would be used to dispatch examination materials.

He said that the acquisition would be from another UK company that would also participate at the conference.

He said that representatives of about 25 African countries,  including South Sudan, and over 350 others from Europe and America, would participate at the conference.

The HNO added that heads of tertiary institutions and other administrative officers would be expected to attend the conference.

The WAEC boss gave the assurance that adequate security had been put in place for the event.

“We want to assure those visiting that they are safe, as adequate arrangements have been made.

“We also want to seize the opportunity to showcase our rich culture and heritage as well as our hospitality in order to project Nigeria in a good light, especially to those visiting for the first time,’’ he said.

According to the HNO, Prof. Is’haq Oloyede, Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and other scholars will present papers at the event.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that WAEC in Nigeria will be hosting the conference for the second time. The first was in 2007.

The council jointly hosted the conference in 2010 with the National Examinations Council and National Business and Technical Examinations Board.

Lesotho hosted the 2018 edition.

NAN also reports that delegates would visit historical sites such as the Gurara Falls, the Nike Art Gallery, Zuma Rock and Katampe Hills during the event.

Adenipekun will take over the mantle as the new President of the association at the conference.