Nigeria’s minister of education, Adamu Adamu has announced that secondary schools under the control of the federal government will not be participating in this year’s West African Examination Council’s (WAEC) organised May/June exams if the body goes ahead with the exams scheduled between August 5 and September 5.
WAEC’s May/June exams for senior secondary school students across West Africa are usually conducted at the middle of the year but this year’s edition was postponed indefinitely to check the spread of COVID-19.
However, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, minister of state for education, announced on Monday that WAEC had fixed the commencement of the examination for August 5 and September 5.
Less than 48 hours later, Nwajiuba’s boss, Adamu Adamu told state house correspondents at the end of the virtual federal executive council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday that schools under the control of the federal government will not participate in the examinations.
Adamu also appealed to state governments who have agreed to reopen schools to reconsider the action due to the spread of the pandemic.
The minister said, “I appeal to state governments that have announced schools’ resumption to reconsider it. I think it’s not safe. Let’s protect our children.”
The pandemic has been spreading across Nigeria over the past three months with the Nigerian Center for Diseases Control confirming more than 30, 000 infections and 684 deaths.
The minister of education wants WAEC to reconsider its position and reschedule the exams for a time when it would be conducted without endangering the lives of the children and their families.