The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Nigeria, has offered key advice to Nigerian students preparing for the May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), encouraging them to aim for excellence and outperform their peers from the other four member countries — Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and The Gambia.
This advice was given by the Head of National Office, WAEC Nigeria, Dr. Amos Dangut, in an exclusive interview with the Nigerian Tribune, following questions about why Ghanaian students have repeatedly claimed the council’s top three International Excellence Awards.
Ghanaian candidates emerged as the top three performers in the most recent May/June WASSCE and also in the 2023 edition, outshining candidates from the other four WAEC member nations, including Nigeria, which contributed 73.5% of the total candidates. The award-winning students — now undergraduates in Ghana — were David Nii Commey Ankrah (1st prize), Henschel Tabi Frempong-Manso (2nd prize), and Benedict Ofori Debrah (3rd prize).
Reacting to this trend, Dr. Dangut noted that in any examination, someone must take the top positions, and falling short should be a motivation for self-evaluation and improvement.
“In every class or examination, someone will always come first, second, and third,” he said. “If a student doesn’t come first, they should assess themselves, find out why, and work harder to improve next time. That’s the mindset Nigerian students need.”
He urged education stakeholders in Nigeria to critically assess the factors affecting students’ performance, particularly in relation to the International Excellence Awards, and find effective solutions to bridge the gap.
When asked whether Nigerian candidates may be disadvantaged by the structure of the exam, Dr. Dangut firmly dismissed such concerns. He explained that WAEC maintains a uniform standard across all five member countries.
“All WAEC candidates write the same exam using the same syllabus, question papers, and marking schemes, regardless of country,” he clarified. “Even the examiners receive the same training to ensure fairness and consistency in grading.”
He stressed that the council applies the same assessment criteria to all candidates, reinforcing that success is achievable for any student who prepares adequately and strategically.
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