The outbreak of the dreaded novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, has done incalculable damage to socio-economic development across the world, most especially the global healthcare system, which has failed to halt the increasing rate of infections and deaths as a result of the pandemic.
With over 15 million infections and 600,000+ fatalities worldwide, the world is gradually adjusting to the new reality as every facet of society is being forced by the virus to design what has been termed ‘the new normal’. Going back to our old ways seems almost impossible, but then, nobody can predict what science and technology would bring tomorrow.
As part of this re-adjustment, the Nigerian government recently announced that Senior Secondary School students in their graduating year in the country will not sit for the annual West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) this year due to the disruptive effects of the virus on the country’s education system.
Schools at all levels have remained closed for close to four months now and students told to stay at home as the rate and manner of coronavirus infections have made any gathering of more than 25 persons dangerous. Effectively, most of the students have neither been taught nor learnt anything since the schools were shut, as poor ICT infrastructure has also made online or distant learning very difficult if not impossible.
Faced with a barely functioning healthcare infrastructure already overstretched by the increasing infections, the government rightly reasoned that allowing students back to school is not only dangerous to their health but could jack up the rate of infection exponentially, with the likelihood of bringing down the fragile healthcare delivery system altogether. Education Minister, Adamu Adamu, reportedly said government would rather the students lose one academic year than be exposed to coronavirus and risk their lives.
While the government decision sounds reasonable, it has not gone down well with most stakeholders in the education sector. While an overwhelming majority, especially parents, support keeping the schools under lock and key, almost the same number are calling for the graduating students to be allowed to take their final examinations especially the SSS3 students who will be sitting for the WASSCE 2020 administered by the West African Examination Council (WAEC). They hinge their arguments on the relatively low number of SSS3 students eligible for the exams in the country, which they reason should not pose many problems, management wise, for the government, even in the face of social distancing required in the management of large gatherings under the COVID-19 protocol.
If the government is serious, they argue, it should be able to make special provisions for the handful of Senior Secondary School students that are due to write the exams this year in the country, not only in compliance with the COVID-19 avoidance protocol but also to prepare for the examinations in their schools in the best way possible that would guarantee their good health as well as adequate learning. After all, they further argue, governorship elections are going ahead in some states, involving more people than the number that would write the WASSCE. We cannot agree with them more.
If the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is going ahead with plans to elect governors in Edo and Ondo States in a few weeks time irrespective of the coronavirus pandemic, why should the ministries of education with help from other relevant government agencies not be able to prepare the students for the exams and ensure it actually took place, without any risks to the health of the students, their teachers and the invigilators.
If the government, perhaps out of fear of the likelihood of precipitating a constitutional crisis if the governorships elections are not held in the two states as and when due, is giving INEC the go-ahead for the polls, why is the same government not worried about the effect a wasted year could have on the future of these students if the examinations are not allowed to hold. For some of these students, it could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to write the exams as no one knows what could happen after. Some are actually looking forward to the exams to shore up their grades ahead of admission into the various institutions of higher learning, having scored a high enough mark in UTME/JAMB to gain university/polytechnic/college of education admission. Now they have the admission but regrettably, no Senior School Certificate result to actualize it if they are not allowed to take WASSCE this year. Considering the high rate of failures in UTME/JAMB every year, there is no guarantee that these students would pass JAMB examination again even if given another opportunity any other time. Therefore, the thought of missing admissions this year because they would have no WASSCE result to present would remain with them for the rest of their lives, especially if they fail to gain university/polytechnic/college of education admission in future. They will hold the Federal Government and not COVID-19 responsible for this.
To avoid this kind of unfortunate situation, we call on the Federal Government, especially the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, to allow the Senior School Certificate Examination to go ahead in the country as planned by WAEC once the new timetable is released. All the minister needs to do is to consult with commissioners for education in the states and agree on a protocol to be implemented to ensure a hitch-free and risk-free WASSCE that will not compromise the health of the students in the light of the coronavirus pandemic. The states should, in addition, draw up their own protocols taking into consideration their respective peculiarities, but in tandem with the protocol agreed at the national level. It will now be left to each school presenting candidates for the examinations, to draw up their respective plans guided by both the national and state guidelines. Preparing the students for the examinations should be the responsibility of both the students and the schools, the government only need to provide the enabling environment for the exams to safely take place. The health authorities and security agencies should also be involved.
With some state governments openly challenging Federal Government’s position on the WASSCE issue, willing to break rank with Abuja, the Minister needs to act fast and reach an agreement with the states lest we put the future of this particular generation of Nigerian youths in jeopardy.
Though the task is definitely not an easy one, with sincerity and dedication on the part of everyone involved, we believe, it is achievable. We need to give the kids every opportunity to excel and succeed in life. Stopping them from writing this all-important examination because of the coronavirus pandemic could ruin some of them for life in such a way that the virus could probably not do. While there is the need to take all necessary and reasonable precautions as we gradually reopen and live our lives under the shadows of the menacing virus, coronavirus and its twin brother COVID-19 should not be allowed to dictate our lives and living. We need to conquer it and move ahead with our lives.
The situation is as bad as it presents a very good opportunity for our education authorities to take another look at our learning and our examination systems. Placing too much premium on in-person learning (in physical schools), ignoring e-learning/distance learning or online education has been exposed as flawed by a coronavirus. We need to decentralize learning using different platforms, especially the opportunity presented by Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Seemingly putting WAEC certificates above those of other similar examination bodies is also risky as can be seen from the public/stakeholders reaction to the ban of WASSCE this year as announced by the Minister. If we have similar faith in certificates obtained from other examination bodies with similar mandate as WAEC, the outrage that followed the ban perhaps wouldn’t have been. We need to re-examine our certification system to give real quality to our education system.
