The six Southwest states have tentatively agreed to reopen schools August for the Senior Secondary School 3 students to sit for the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
A statement by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) after a virtual meeting of the commissioners for Education in the six states: Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti, special advisers on Education and State Universal Education Board (SUBEB) chairmen, said participants reached an agreement to reopen schools on August 3 for SS3 pupils to sit for their final examination, with COVID-19 preventive measures put in place.
The meeting also agreed on the need for Southwest states to implement a 2016 plan to establish a regional examination body akin to the Interim Joint Matriculation Board (IJMB) in the North.
The plan was laid out at the Roundtable on Creating a Collaborative Framework for Education Development and Advancement in Western Nigeria held in Osogbo, the Osun State capital in 2016.
The DAWN statement said the states will approach the Federal Government at the first instance to seek a postponement of the WASSCE by at least three weeks from the proposed resumption date.
At the second instance, states are to directly approach WAEC to seek a postponement of the examination to the week beginning August 24.
On resumption, schools are to appoint incident managers and classroom wardens.
There will also be a designation of quality assurance department for each state to issue a safety compliance certificate to each school before reopening.
Each state will encourage intensive advocacy campaign to stakeholders, including parents, teachers, caregivers, school owners and pupils on what is expected of them when schools resume.
The meeting also called on the WAEC to encourage Computer-Based Tests (CBT) in the future.
Seye Oyeleye, Director General DAWN told the media that Southwest states would consult with the government and agree on the way out of the logjam.
“Southwest states are ready for SSCE. But in view of the latest decision by the Federal Government, we will consult with them and agree on the way forward. But we are ready for it in Southwest. The fact is that due to the peculiarities of Southwest states it is in our interest to allow our children write the examination as long as we are putting measures in place to prevent spread of Coronavirus.”
