By Babs Oyetoro
Anchor University vice chancellor, Prof. Samuel Bandele has cautioned the Federal Government on the directive to West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) to adopt full Computer-Based Exams for all their examinations.
Prof. Bandele made this observation in a chart with journalists recently in Lagos.
Recall that the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, gave the directive during the monitoring of the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) alongside officials of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) recently.
Alausa noted that both examination bodies must begin conducting their objective papers via CBT effective November 2025, with a full transition to include essay components by May/June 2026.
Bandele, one of the few experts in Test and Evalution principles warned that the transistion to CBT exams must be done through meticulous planning in order not create more problems while trying to sanitise the educational system at that level.
The university don reasoned that it was a novel idea to bring sanity to the conduct of our exams at this level but noted that concrete foundation must be laid to achieve this goal.
He expressed fear that most of the schools preparing students for these exams might not have sufficient capacities to put in place the standard facilities to conduct essay components of the exams by May/June 2026.
“We need to understand that both WAEC and NECO are achievement tests unlike Jamb exam, which is just screening test basically meant to prune down the number of students vying for admission into the university due to limited facilities.
“There is a clear-cut difference between an achievement test and screening test. The achievement test will reveal the ability of the student to express his ideas or communicate through his response to the question, shows his ability to innovate, imagine in an examination condition during the theory papers or tests.
“We need to take cognisance of the fact that any attempt to reduce these exams to only objectives in a bid to introduce CBT method will water down the quality of these exams, he cautioned.
He also dismissed the call by some individuals to scrap Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board because of the technical glitch that affected the results of this year exams; even as he commended Prof. Ishaq Oloyede for the professionalism he brought to bear in the manner he handled the matter.
He praised Prof. Oloyede for the transformation he had brought to the examination body during his tenure.
Meanwhile, Prof. Bandele has recently been appointed as the National Coordinator for Deeper Life Campus Fellowship (DLCF) and beyond by the Church General Suprintendent, Pastor W.F Kumuyi.
This new appoinment, there is no doubt, enthrusts on his shoulder additional responsiblity in the vineyard of God and according to him: “this is a call for more commitment to the service of the Master”.
Elated Bandele said he was humbled by this opportunity given him to serve God in this capacity even as he promised not to disappoint God and his father in the Lord, Daddy Kumuyi assuring that he would give this assignment his best shot.
“By the grace of God, we shall bring back the good old days in DLCF thus reviving all our programmes at the zonal, state and national levels. Indeed, it is a new beginning for us.
“We shall annex all the resources available at our disposal to mobilise support for the GCK programme anhored by our father-in-the-Lord.
“This new assignment portends good omen to the church and Anchor University because wherever I go I will project the name of the school- Anchor university, Ayobo.
“I can see a bright light at the end of tunnel with the kind of support from our brethren in Lagos.
“Lastly, I must sincerely thank my father in the Lord for giving me this opportunity to serve God at this level”.
