The House Committee on Basic Education and Services has expressed over the announcement by the Honourable Minister of Education Mallam Adamu Adamu that Nigerian students would not be participating in the forthcoming WASSCE examinations. 

Chairman house committee on basic education and services representative Julius Ihonbvere said this in a statement made available to newsmen.

The lawmaker said the Minister of education did not inform the country if this was in agreement with other West African leaders or in consultation with the examination bodies, the state governments and other stakeholders in the education sector.

He further stated that the Minister did not also inform the public if the decision was the outcome of a meeting with all State Governments that are in charge of all but the Unity Secondary Schools that are owned by the Federal government.

Ihonbvere recalled that the Hon. Minister of State, had briefed the nation at the Covid 19 presidential Committee briefing, over the airwaves and in an appearance before the House Committee on Basic Education where he assured  Nigerians that all steps had or were being taken to ensure full compliance with all Covid 19 protocols.

The lawmaker expressed worry that the sudden policy reversal is not good for the country, as it is bound to create further confusion in the education sector,  create disappointment and suspicion among parents, frustrate the students, and show to our development partners and Nigerians that the distortions in the sector are only getting worse.

Representative Ihonbvere said the House Committee disagrees with the Honourable Minister and believes that a reconsideration is urgently needed to save the nation’s educational system base on certain realities which include the fact that Nigeria is not the only country expected to write the examination in the midst of Covid 19; Nigeria should insist that the examination be based exclusively on the already covered syllabus of schools; The Federal Ministry should not chicken out of its responsibilities but take charge, provide policy direction, engage the states and other  stakeholders; WAEC should quadruple its invigilators and use all classrooms and event centres to conduct the examination and comply with covid protocols; The ministry of Science and Technology as well as the Ministries of Environment and Health should immediately work out an agenda to fumigate all classrooms ,  provide handwashing buckets with soap and water, and facemasks to all students and The original plan of opening hostels for boarding to facilitate so-called revision classes should be cancelled immediately and the students should come from home, write the paper and disperse immediatelyrespectively.

He said the House Committee appreciates the reservations of the Honourable Minister of Education, but convinced that if the nation’s policy of no boarding house, re conceptualising scope of exams, use of all classrooms and halls in the schools, quadrupling the number of invigilators,  provision of facemasks, sanitizers and hand washing facilities are followed, the WASSCE can be conducted with ease and with no repercussions.